Exactly What You Need
by monkies ate my sisters
Summary: Evangeline blacked out after he had said those words and woke up on the streets. Still, her curiosity always got the better of her whenever she thought back to that cold winter night, in that cozy shop, with that boy who always sold "what you need."
1. What You Need is a Love Potion

…Yes, I am ashamed of myself! But it's not my fault! The plot bunnies won't stop multiplying in my head! And that's why I have started another Naruto x Negima crossover! Anyway, some of you may be wondering about the pairing:

Naruto x Evangeline

But we will also be including other people as well! However, those will be based entirely on the way a poll goes. If you want to see the poll, it will be at the bottom of the page, but if you do decide to vote, please do NOT ask for these girls to be put in the pairing: Mana, Kaede, Setsuna, or Konoka. Nothing against them, but they seem to always be paired up with Naruto in these things (which I am guilty of in other stories of mine), so I want to go for lesser done pairings.

That said, let's begin!

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or Negima.

* * *

_A small girl with long blonde hair looked in surprise as she glared through the fog. Had that store always been there? She'd never noticed it before. Realizing that it was the place she was looking for, she looked up and down the streets, making sure no one was on them before entering the store. It was a quiet night and no one was out, surprising as that was, but she would guess it was just the harsh cold of the winter around her._

_Looking to the door of the shop, she observed it. The door was simple, with a window on it (the only window she could see anywhere on the store) that had the words "What You Need" written on the glass. The rest was just plain brick with nothing flashy or special about it._

_Entering the shop, she heard the ringing of a small bell as she pushed the door open and found the lighting inside to be less than adequate. It did its job and lit the place well enough for people to see and get what they needed, but only just that, giving the small room a sleepy feeling to go with the cozy warmth that surrounded her._

"_H-Hello?" she called out, glancing around the room. It was small, with two small bookshelves loaded to the brim with books covering the right side of the store. Three more shelves were on the left of the room, holding many different odd items she had never seen before. In the center of the room, she could see displays of different items that were still brand new to her and, looking past that, she found the counter, an old cash-register resting there and behind the counter were numerous devices mounted on the wall._

"_Hello!" a boy greeted, emerging from the staircase that also lay behind the counter, "What can I get for you?"_

_The boy appeared to be the same age she appeared to be—ten—and wore a plain black hoodie with the hood over his head, concealing his face with the poor lighting, but the girl could still make out the sparkle of the silver crucifix that hung from his neck. As he stood at the bottom of the staircase, she could also see his beige shorts (was he insane—it was the middle of winter!) and tan hiking boots._

"_I was told that you could give me a—"_

"_Wait! Don't tell me!" the boy cried, holding up his hand dramatically, before reaching below the counter and bringing up a pen and paper, "Just sign your name here, age here, blood type here, and date of birth here."_

_The girl shot the boy a questioning look, but approached the counter and did so, "Now, as I was saying, I need a—"_

_The boy leaned across the counter and put a finger to the girl's lips, causing her to blush. The boy then picked up the form and looked it over before reaching into the pocket of his hoodie and pulling out a tape-measure and smiled, looking back to the girl._

"_I told you not to tell me—it spoils the surprise," the boy grinned, glancing back down at the form, "Now…Evangeline, right? Well, Eva-chan, stand perfectly still…"_

_Evangeline did so, quietly observing the boy suspiciously as he walked around the counter and measured her height and waist. She had to admit, she was beginning to get slightly annoyed when he even took the time to measure her neck and head._

"_Get on with it!" Evangeline growled._

"_Testy, aren't we?" the boy smiled, before walking upstairs, "I'll be right back—remember, if you break it, you buy it."_

_Evangeline sighed and took a seat at the table, observing the objects on it. Various assortments of stones, skulls, vials of liquids, chests, dice, and even rings were laid about it everywhere._

"_I'm back," the boy called, coming back down the stairs, his hands behind his back, "And I have exactly what you need."_

"_It's about time," Evangeline mutter impatiently as she walked back up to the counter, "How are you sure you have what I need?"_

"_Years of practice—I'm never wrong," the boy smiled revealing the item he had behind his back, "Eva-chan, I'd like you to meet Chachazero—she's exactly what you need…"_

_Evangeline looked at the puppet in the boy's hands, not the least bit startled when the doll looked up at her._

"_Hello," Chachazero greeted._

_"I had to keep Zero-chan upstairs because she developed the nasty habit of killing my customers," the boy smiled, "But I have a feeling she's exactly what you need."_

"_You keep saying that…" Evangeline muttered, "…You're sure?"_

"_Positive," the boy nodded, "I'll give you a full refund it you are disappointed—I aim to please."_

"_Alright, I'll take her," Evangeline said, taking a hold of Chachazero, who smiled._

"_I think I'll like you," Chachazero mumbled._

_Evangeline looked to the boy, "How much?"_

"_Oh, you've already agreed to the payment, Eva-chan," the boy smiled, holding up the paper she had signed._

"_W-What?" Evangeline shouted._

"_He's fun, isn't he?" Chachazero's eyes twinkled, "His customers never even bother to read what they sign first…"_

"_You see, Eva-chan, I specialize in selling exactly what people need," the boy's smile turned slightly sinister, "But people forget…everything has a price…now, this won't hurt one bit, Dark Evangel-chan."_

_That was the last memory Evangeline had of that night. After the boy had said those words, she had blacked out and woken up on the street the next morning, Chachazero in her hands and the shop nowhere in sight. From what she could tell, the boy hadn't done anything to her, so she never knew exactly what she paid that night. Chachazero told her he had asked people for many different things and he never told her what they were until after the deal was made and the payment collected. Still, Evangeline's curiosity couldn't help but get the better of her every time she thought back to that cold night, in that cozy little store, with that seemingly nice boy that always sold people "exactly what you need."_

"Konoe-sensei, what's the meaning of this? You can't really be employing a little kid as a teacher this year, can you?" Asuna asked, still hot with anger and embarrassment over what had happened this morning. Not only had some little punk told her that her feelings for Takahata-sensei were meaningless, but then her clothes had been blown off right in front of her crush!

Currently standing in the Dean's office were Asuna, Negi, and Konoka. The office was large, with a table and two couches in front of Konoe's desk, which sat in front of a large window.

"Asuna-chan, it's been awhile, hasn't it?" Konoe stroked his beard before turning to the boy in question, "I see you're training has left you with a difficult position to fill, Negi-kun."

"Y-Yes, it's nice to meet you," Negi bowed.  
Konoe nodded, "But you'll be needing more experience…so we'll make it from now to March…by the way, Negi-kun, would you be interested in dating my granddaughter, Konoka?"

"Grandpa!" Konoka blushed, pulling out a hammer from thin air and whacking him over the head with it.

"H-He's a kid! How can you just give him a job like that, let alone let him be our Homeroom teacher!" Asuna shouted.

Konoe nodded, "Negi-kun, this is a very difficult task…if you are not up to it, you will have to return home. There are no second chances, do you understand, Negi-kun?"

"Y-Yes," Negi nodded, eyes shining with determination, "I'm ready!"

"Then it's settled," Konoe nodded, causing Asuna's heart to drop, "Negi-kun will be your new Homeroom teacher!"

A woman suddenly walked into the room, "Konoe-sama, you have a message from Evangeline-san."

The woman walked over to the desk and handed Konoe a slip of a paper, who eyed it in understanding before turning to Negi, "Negi-kun, Shizuna-sensei here will lead you to your class. Don't be late now!"

When everyone had left the room, Konoe took the note and unfolded it, reading over what was written on it.

_Konoe,_

_Someone's entered the school grounds._

—_Evangeline _

* * *

'_I can't believe this!' _Asuna thought angrily to herself as she stormed back to her dorm, _'Has everyone gone insane? He's just a kid! Why is he allowed to be a teacher?' _

Asuna, lost in her thoughts, didn't notice she had now entered the Mahora Shopping District. Many people crowded the street entering in and out of the different stores that lined nearly every step of the road, making it easy for one to get lost in the sea of people. It was as she was coming out of her thoughts that she caught something in the corner of her eye.

A door. That's all it was—just a door that entered into a brick building. The door was simple with the words "What You Need" written on the glass of the window (the only window Asuna could see on the building). Despite its simple looks, Asuna couldn't help but feel drawn to it, and she subconsciously began to walk towards it and open the door, entering the shop, causing the bell to chime.

It was dark, the hanging lights just barely lighting the place as she observed the room, but it had a cozy warm atmosphere to it. The room was small, with two bookshelves up against the right side of the room, both crammed with books. On the left side, there were three shelves, stocked full with some of the strangest stuff Asuna had ever seen. In the center of the room was a table, with a bunch of weird and freaky stuff on it and, looking past that, Asuna found the counter, with a bunch of even weirder stuff mounted on the wall behind it and an old-fashioned cash-register lying on top of it.

"Can I help you?"

Asuna jumped—she hadn't even noticed the boy standing on the staircase. He wore a black hoodie with the hood up, obscuring his face from view, but not the silver crucifix that hung from his neck. He also had on a pair of beige shorts and tan hiking boots.

'_Great…more kids,' _Asuna inwardly sighed as she looked at the boy who couldn't have been more than ten-years-old, "I'm looking for the owner of this shop—have you seen him?"

The boy walked down the stairs and stood directly behind the counter now, "I am the owner. What do you need?"

"Y-You're the owner? You're way too young to own a store!" Asuna accused, "Stop messing around and get the real owner!"

"So? Your teacher is way too young to be a teacher, but he's one, isn't he?" the boy asked.

Asuna blinked, "…How'd you know about that?"

"Oh, I know a lot of things," the boy replied, "Now, what do you need?"

"I-I don't really need any—"

"Wait! Don't tell me!" the boy shouted, raising his hand up dramatically, "I know exactly what you need."

"Y-You do?" Asuna shot the boy a strange and disbelieving look as he reached below the counter and pulled up a pen and paper.

"I do," the boy answered, pushing the paper and pen across the counter, "Just sign this and we can get started."

"What are you planning on selling to me?" Asuna questioned.

"Huh? I told you, I plan to sell you exactly what you need," the boy responded, "So, just sign here and—"

"I'm not signing off for something I don't know!" Asuna interjected, crossing her arms and getting a stubborn look in her eyes.

"But that spoils the surprise!" the boy sighed, noticing the stubbornness in her eyes, "Fine. I have a feeling that today you have doubted your love more than ever before, am I right?"

Asuna blinked, "Y-Yes, that's right."

"You need to admit that you love him, but you doubt he'll ever return your feelings, correct?" the boy questioned deeper.

"Yeah…" Asuna mumbled.

"What you need…" the boy once again reached under the table and pulled up a small vial of liquid, "Is a love potion."

Asuna's left eye began to twitch, "D-Do I look like an idiot to you? You really expect me to buy a love potion?"

"I see you don't believe in magic," the boy mumbled, putting away the vial, "That's fine. You'll come back—they all come back sooner or later."

"Like Hell I'll come back!" Asuna shouted, slamming the door behind her and storming down the street, never looking back at the shop once.

* * *

"I-I really am sorry," Negi apologized for the seventh time as he and Asuna walked back to the school, "I wasn't trying to erase your clothes, just your memory!"

Asuna turned and glared at Negi, "I'd rather have had my memory replaced! Because of you and your stupid magic, Takahata-sensei saw me naked!"

Asuna threw herself to the ground in embarrassment and began to hit it with her fist, while Negi moved to comfort the girl, "I-I'm sorry! I didn't mean to—"

"You!" Asuna suddenly shot up and grabbed Negi by the collar of his shirt, "What is a little mage like you doing, pretending to be a teacher?"

"T-Training," Negi answered, "A mage's work is to improve the lives of the people of this world. Right now, I'm on what you could call a probationary license."

"What if you were to get exposed?"

"T-T-Then I'd lose my license and be turned into an ermine!" Negi cried, "P-Please don't tell anyone!"

"Your job is to help people, isn't it?" Asuna mumbled, "Than you'll help me, right?"

"Y-Yes…" Negi sighed in relief, feeling the rage of his student die out. Asuna and Negi headed back to the classroom, with Asuna stopping once to pick up some soda, discussing different possibilities with magic as the sun began to set.

"So could you make me a love potion?" Asuna asked excitedly, fantasizing about Takahata falling in love with her.

"No, it takes a high class mage to be able to do that…" Negi answered.

'_Wait…a love potion? That's right!' _Asuna shoved the bottle of soda in Negi's arms and began to run back to the Mahora Shopping District.

"A-Asuna-san? Where are you going?" Negi called out to her.

"Just take those up to the classroom! I'll be back in a minute!" Asuna called back, never looking over her shoulder or breaking her pace, leaving behind a confused Negi.

* * *

Asuna didn't hesitate to open the door and enter the shop, a burst of warm air hitting her as she did so, "H-Hello? Are you still open?"

*BOOM*

Asuna jumped as she heard the small explosion upstairs as smoke began to pour down the staircase.

"Damn it…well, that was a failure," the boy came down the stairs, coughing and waving his hand to clear the air of the smoke, "Hello there, back so soon?"

"S-Shut up! That love potion that you were going to sell me, is it real?" Asuna pressed, walking up to the counter, "Will it really work?"

The boy nodded, "It is exactly what you need."

"I'll take it," Asuna declared, "Give me that paper."

"Alright," the boy pulled out the paper and pen, "Sign your name here, age here, blood type here, and date of birth here."

Asuna did so, slightly confused as to why any of this mattered, _'I guess mage's are just weird…'_

"Good, now stand perfectly still," the boy said as he looked over the form before he reached into his hoodie and pulled out a tape-measure, "I just need to take some measurements."

"If you try anything perverted, I'll knock you through the roof, got it?" Asuna growled.

"I wouldn't dream of harming a customer of mine," the boy smiled, "Now let's see here…"

The boy started with measuring her height (which Asuna almost laughed at when the ten-year-old had to get a stepladder to do so), before he moved on to measuring her waste (to which Asuna held back a growl and resisted the urge to beat the boy). Asuna shot the kid a particularly odd look when he got back on the stepladder to measure her head and neck.

"Alright, everything's in order," the boy nodded, putting the tape-measure away and going behind the counter, reaching below it and pulling up the vial, "Here you go—exactly what you need."

"Great! How much do I owe you?" Asuna said, taking the potion.

The boy hummed as he fell into a thinking posture, "How about this? You come back tomorrow and pay me after you've used the potion."

Asuna grinned as she turned to leave, "No problem!"

"Oh, and Asuna-chan?"

"What?" Asuna turned around to face the boy, who she found was already headed upstairs.

"Make sure no one else drinks that potion—it's exactly what _you _need and no one else," the boy chimed, before he disappeared into the darkness of the poorly-lit shop.

Asuna shot a weird look into the dark, searching for any sign of the boy and, finding none, continued on her way, pushing thoughts of the strange boy to the back of her mind and replacing them with thoughts of Takahata admitting his love for her.

* * *

Asuna couldn't believe what had just happened. Her potion, which was currently flying through the air and towards Negi's mouth, was about to be completely useless. Why? Because of her idiot teacher! Asuna had gone to bed last night with wonderful dreams of Takahata and had woken up this morning with only one thing on her mind—the potion. At school, she had finally managed to find Takahata talking with Negi, and when she got close…Negi sneezed, knocking her clothes off and tossing the potion into the air, the cork having flown off in the wind.

"A-Asuna-sa—!" the potion landed right in Negi's mouth, cutting him off and sending the liquid rushing down his throat.

Seeing this, Asuna grabbed Negi's arm tightly and dragged him into the classroom, "Do you realize what you just did? That was my potion for Takahata-sensei!"

"A p-p-potion?" Negi cried, "Asuna-san, than that means its effects are going to start any minute now!"

Asuna and Negi both cringed, waiting for a large number of girls to come bursting through the door and proclaim their love for Negi…but it didn't happen.

"D-Did I buy a dud?" Asuna mumbled.

"Thank goodness…" Negi sighed in relief.

"Negi-sensei~!"

Negi and Asuna stiffened as a chill ran down their backs, turning to find Konoka beaming at Negi.

"K-Konoka-san?" Negi mumbled.

"Negi-sensei, I never really noticed it before, but now that I take a good look at you," Konoka blushed, "You're really cute!"

Asuna felt her jaw hit the floor, _'Oh, Kami no…'_

The boy kept the smile on his face even as Asuna burst through the door angrily and slammed it behind her, stomping all the way up to the counter and slamming her hands down on it.

"I've been expecting you, Asuna-chan," the boy spoke happily, "How was it? Did you get your chance?"

"Did I get my chance? You gave me a bad deal!" Asuna shouted, pointing an accusing finger at the boy, "That potion just sends a pack of love-sick idiots at you!"

The boy sighed and shook his head, "You let someone else drink it, didn't you, Asuna-chan?"

"…H-How'd you know that?" Asuna questioned.

"That potion was meant for you. If you had drunken it, your love would have come true…" the boy paused, "But if someone else were to drink it, it would have just sent everyone in the area head-over-heels for them."

Asuna blinked, "S-So, if you gave me another, I could—"

"Sorry, Asuna-chan, but you still need to pay me for this little job," the boy interrupted.

"What do I owe you?" Asuna asked.

"Your soul."

"...Excuse me?" Asuna shot the boy a disbelieving look.

"I said that you owe me your soul," the boy repeated.

"T-This is a joke, right?" Asuna frowned, "This isn't funny."

"No one is laughing, Asuna-chan," the boy spoke, his voice taking a slight edge to it, "Now, hand over your soul and I won't have to take it from you."

"You? What can you do? You're just a pipsqueak!" Asuna laughed, turning around to leave, only to find the boy already in front of her, "H-How'd you—"

"Do not underestimate me," the boy snorted, "I have lived far longer than you have and, just because I own a store, does not mean that I could not easily kill you where you stand."

Asuna gulped, stepping back, "I-I never agreed to this!"

"On the contrary, you did," the boy snapped his fingers, causing the paper Asuna had signed to appear and float in front of her, "Magical parchment. Once you sign off on this paper, you can't get out of the deal unless I let you. You should always read the fine-print, Asuna-chan…Now, about your payment…"

"Y-You can't do this!"

"Oh, but I can, and I have been doing it for many, many years," the boy laughed, "Do I scare you, Asuna-chan?"

"I'll do anything!" Asuna begged.

"…Anything?" the boy stopped, "…I think we can work out an agreement, Asuna-chan."

"What sort of agreement?" Asuna eyed the boy warily, ready to make a break for the door should she have to.

"You see, I've been getting a lot of orders from a lot of people," the boy explained, "So I've been busy, especially since I got the biggest order I've ever gotten just last week. I need an extra hand to help me around the store. You will start working here tomorrow."

"What?" Asuna shouted, "B-But I already have a job!"

"Quit it."

"But I won't be able to pay my tuition!"

"That will be covered by me," the boy drawled casually, "Meaning that any money you earn here will go straight towards your tuition."

"B-But…"

"It's either this or your soul," the boy finished, "Pick."

"…Fine," Asuna sighed, hanging her head in defeat, "…Who are you, anyway? If I'm going to be working here, I might as well know your name."

"I go by a lot of names," the boy explained, "The first one…I believe it was Naruto? Yes, just call me Naruto."

Asuna, moved to the door, "Fine, I'll be back tomorrow, Naruto."

"Asuna-chan…" Naruto called.

"What?" Asuna snapped, turning back to face him.

"If you don't come…" Naruto smiled, **"I will find you."**

Asuna didn't hesitate to nod and run out the door as fast as she could, never looking back to see two other men enter the store after she left.

Naruto looked up and smiled, "My, two more customers? I've been getting quite a lot of work here…What can I get for you two?"

Takahata and Konoe glanced around the shop, "We're just looking."

"Really?" Naruto questioned, "I can sell you anything you need…how about you, Jiji-san? I could sell you an ointment that can reverse your aging! By the end of the week, you'll be in your twenties again!"

Konoe chuckled, "A tempting offer, but I believe the price is too steep for me."

Naruto shot him a suspicious glance, "I see…well then, how about you, sir? I could sell you anything you want—how about a special powder? Sprinkle this around the school and all your students are completely safe!"

"That would be nice…but I don't think I can afford it," Takahata replied, "Besides, I trust my students not to get into any sort of trouble."

"…So…" Naruto began, "Can I ask what two powerful mages such as yourselves are doing in my humble shop?"

"We've heard quite the bit of stories about your shop, Uzumaki-san," Konoe answered, picking up a skull from the table and examining it, "How you sell people what they need the most for the steepest of prices. How you travel the world, collecting many rare magical artifacts to give to people who order them from you. So, if I may ask, what is a famous treasure hunter like you doing here in Mahora Academy?"

"…If you must know, I've gotten a very large order from an anonymous client," Naruto answered, resting his head in his hands, "I'm afraid that the artifact I am after is on these grounds."

"And what would it be?" Takahata questioned.

"That spoils that surprise."

"Just one more question, Uzumaki-san," Konoe asked, "How long has it been since you fed?"

Naruto paused before laughing, "You truly do have the best of information, don't you, Konoe-san? As a dhampir, I already have a large supply of blood stocked piled should I get hungry, so I won't be harming any of your students."

"Then I take it you know who your father was?" Konoe pushed further.

"Yes, I know exactly who my father was, what he was, and what I am," Naruto smirked, "Now, if you won't buy anything, please leave. I run a store, not a library."

"Very well, Uzumaki-san," Konoe sighed as he turned to leave, Takahata following him, "But if I find that you have indeed harmed one of my students, your punishment will not go lightly."

"I would expect nothing less," Naruto responded as the door closed behind the two.

* * *

"Asuna, did you want to go get something sweet?" Konoka smiled as she turned to her friend. After another long day at school, class was finally over and the students were currently in their classroom discussing what to do with their friends.

"N-No," Asuna jumped, "I have to go somewhere!"

"Eh? Where do you need to go?" Konoka asked, "I'll come with you!"

"No, it's okay! I just have to go to my job!" Asuna replied, collecting her things and standing up from her desk.

"But Asuna, your job is in the morning…" Konoka pointed out, "Your paper route, remember?"

"I have to go! I can't be late!" Asuna shouted as she ran out the door, leaving behind a confused Konoka.

"Sounds like she has a boyfriend to me!" Asakura, who had been listening to the converstation, chimed in.

"Do you really think so?" Konoka asked.

"No way! She's being black-mailed!" Haruna shouted, "There's no doubt about it!"

"Maybe Asuna-san is going to do something bad!" Fumika exclaimed.

"Like a prank?" Fuuka's eyes sparkled.

"Or a crime!" Ayaka added.

It was then that a unanimous decision was made by everyone in the class. Today, they would follow Asuna and find out where she went.

* * *

Asuna looked up and down the street before entering the store. As soon as she did, the rest of class 2-A popped around the corner.

"She went in there, didn't she?" Yuna asked, approaching the shop.

"Yeah, you think she's going to rob it?"

"Or maybe her boyfriend's in there!"

Evangeline, who the group managed to drag along, froze, _'T-That store…'_

Meanwhile, Asuna had already met with Naruto inside the shop.

"Oh good, you showed," Naruto smiled, pulling up a large stack of books from below the counter, "I need for you two sort these on the shelves in alphabetical order."

"T-These are all in Latin!" Asuna shouted.

"There's a translator over by the shelves!" Naruto chimed, "I'm going to be upstairs working on some new merchandise. If a customer comes in or something tries to kill or eat you, come get me."

Asuna nodded as Naruto went up the stairs, "…Wait, what?"

The door suddenly burst open and the majority of 2-A piled in, much to Asuna's shock and annoyance, "W-What are you all doing here?"

"We wanted to know where you were going!" Asakura explained, "So, where's your boyfriend?"

"My what?" Asuna shouted.

"Asuna-san, I will not allow you to rob this store!" Ayaka exclaimed.

"What?" Asuna couldn't believe what was happening.

"Asuna, what prank are you pulling? We'll help out!" Fuuka asked, pulling Fumika along with her.

"Look, all of you get out of here now! My boss is right upstairs and he's insa—"

*BBBBBOOOOOOOOOMMMMMM*

Naruto came flying down the stairs on fire, hitting the ground next to the large group and ending up in crumpled, smoking heap right by the door.

"I-Is he alive?" Madoka asked.

Asuna waved her hands, "He's fine…"

Walking over to Naruto, Asuna kicked him, "Get up before one of them calls an ambulance."

Naruto sat up; coughing to get the smoke out of his lungs and knocking his hood back unknowingly, "Well, that was a bad combination…still, for such a violent reaction it must be useful for fights…huh?"

Naruto had finally turned to notice the large group of girls examining him. He was short due to his appearance of a ten-year-old and had a mop of spiky blond hair on his head. His eyes were two different colors, much like Asuna, one being a striking shade of sapphire blue while the other a dark shade of purple. On his cheeks he had three whiskers marks, adding to the cuteness he had.

"Kawaii!" the class was on him before he knew it, pinching his cheeks and ruffling his hair, hugging him and tugging on him.

"He's so cute!"

"Who is he, Asuna? Your boss's son?"

Asuna sighed, "…No…he _is _my boss…"

'…_I think I'll like it here…' _Naruto smiled as the girls continued to fawn over his cuteness, "Hello ladies, could I interest you in anything from my humble little store?"

Evangeline meanwhile, had lost her voice as she stared at Naruto. His voice, his attitude, this shop—there was no doubt in her mind.

"I-It's you!" Evangeline said, pointing to Naruto.

Naruto blinked, "Ah, Eva-chan, it's nice to see you again? How's Chachazero? Was she exactly what you needed?"

* * *

Alright! That's the first chapter! Now, I'll say a few things before I go.

1. Naruto's past on how he got the store and what a dhampir is (if you don't want to wait, just do a Google search) and how he became one will all be revealed as time goes on.

2. Poll! Okay, Evangeline is in the pairing no matter what, but that still leaves open some other places that can be filled! So, before you vote, please do NOT ask for these girls: Kaede, Mana, Setsuna, and Konoka. I like them, but there are already a bunch of fics with the pairing, so I want to go for something less done.

Naruto Pairing Poll: (Feel free to suggest others besides the ones mentioned above)

Yuna

Asuna

Ako

Akira

Madoka

Sakurako

Sayo

Asakura

Well, I'll see you all next time!

* * *


	2. What You Need is an Expert

Okay people, I'm back with the next chapter! Now, I've added those that were picked enough times to be part of the poll, some of them got in because the people gave convincing arguments, but that's beside the point! Right now, we'll respond to some reviews!

**Capito Celcior: **First of all, thanks for being the first to review my new story. Secondly, I'd like to apologize because now that everyone's reviewed and asked for certain characters to be put in the poll, I think it's too late to cancel the harem (Sorry, but I'd just feel horrible if I canceled the poll after everyone reviewed and voted ), but it won't be a super-mega-huge one! Now, I have someone who helped me come up with some of the details to be put into the story, and he has requested that Ako be put in, so she will be. I still try my best to make it good, even if you didn't want Ako. Have you ever played Disgaea? Well, to make a quick comparison, Naruto will be like Larharl, evil and dark, and Ako would be like Flonne, kind and nice and trying to get Naruto to see the light. I'm really sorry, but my hands are kinda tied on this one—I'm not assertive. Sorry again!

**Junky: **I know, but it's the plot bunnies I tell you! The PLOT BUNNIES! But I will try my best to update especially with summer around the corner!

**Melfice-sama: **I'm really sorry, but after all the reviews I got suggesting different girls and casting votes, I'd feel horrible if I just canceled the poll now. I know what you mean, though, and if it's any conciliation, I won't be making this a huge harem, just Eva, Ako, and one other girl. If you want to read a NaruxNegima cross with only one girl, I have another story called My Guardian Demon that has a NarutoxMana pairing (but I have to warn you that there will be OCs). Sorry again.

**Demonwarrior1029: **Thanks! I wanted to try and create a new Naruto, so I'm glad it worked!

**Vandenbz: **I've never actually read xxxHolic, weird, huh? Anyway, I think I'm gonna stay away from Zazie for the same reasons you mentioned. I don't see her much and I don't know anything about her character. Sorry, but I wouldn't know what to do with her.

**Frik1000: **I've heard that about three times now, but I've never actually read xxxHolic. Weird, huh? Oh well, I'm glad you enjoy my crossovers!

**Ignisha: **Ability Shop? I've never heard of it…anyway, I'm glad you liked the story!

**Orange-Fuzz-Ball: **A dhampir is someone born half-vampire-half-human, so Naruto was born that way.

**Flames of Insanity: **I know what you mean! It's my favorite type of crossover!

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or Negima.

* * *

"Eh? Do you know Naruto, Eva-chan?" Asuna asked, noticing Evangeline's shocked stare. The rest of 2-A was silent, looking between the two chibi's.

"I-It's really you, isn't it?" Evangeline mumbled, walking over to the blond, "I need you to tell me what you took from me that night!"

Naruto smirked, "Eh? I never take anything, Eva-chan. I only make deals, I don't steal."

"Don't screw around!" Evangeline growled, grabbing Naruto by the collar, "What did you take as my payment?"

"Do you really want to know, Eva-chan?" Naruto asked, leaning closer to the girl.

"Y-Yes, just tell me!" Evangeline shouted, blushing slightly at the lack of space between the two.

Naruto laughed and walked past her towards the stairs, "That spoils the surprise, Eva-chan. Well, Asuna-chan has a lot of work to do, ladies, but feel free to come back tomorrow! My store is always open for such beautiful young ladies such as you all!"

2-A slowly made their way out the door, talking about Asuna's new boss and his connection to Evangeline, while Evangeline herself stood there in shock and disbelieve, not moving at all when Asuna approached the girl, "A-Are you alright, Eva-chan?"

"…That sadistic bastard…" Evangeline muttered, her body stiffening and her face hot with rage, "GET DOWN HERE! TELL ME WHAT YOU TOOK FROM ME!"

"E-Eva-chan, when you say that, do you mean that…" Asuna paused, looking to the small blonde, "Did Naruto take a payment from you?"

Evangeline turned to Asuna in shock, "How do you know about those?"

"I…I just entered the store without even thinking about it! I met him, and he told me he could sell me what I really needed! I didn't believe him at first, but then…" Asuna sighed, "A-Anyway, I'm stuck working here because I couldn't pay what I agreed to pay."

Evangeline grew a serious look in her eyes as she stared at Asuna, "Be careful around him. He's dangerous. If someone makes a deal with him, they may as well be making a deal with the Devil himself!"

"…What is he?" Asuna asked, "He can't be human. He's faster than what my eyes can keep up with, he says he's older than me, and you saw that explosion, right? He was blown down the stairs on _fire _and he got up like it was nothing! Just what the Hell is he, Eva-chan?"

"I don't know a lot about him…" Evangeline sighed, taking a seat at the table, "Information on him is rare and limited. He's a hunter of sorts. He goes to different locations and gets items for people who pay him. He's "helped" a lot of people and he's been doing it for a long time."

"Helped? Who has he helped?" Asuna questioned, taking a seat next to Evangeline.

"…Never mind that," Evangeline said, "All that matters is that you know you got off easy. That person is ruthless—he can't be trusted, do you understand?"

Asuna nodded, "It's still hard to believe all this…"

Evangeline nodded and moved behind the counter, "You don't have to. Do your work for now. I'm not leaving without answers."

Asuna watched as Evangeline disappeared up the steps, shaking her head and going back to her work, _'Did everyone know about magic but me?'_

Evangeline glanced around the room she stood in. It was dark, very dark, with a few candles lit to light the room. Somehow, it was larger than the room beneath it, and from what she could see, in the corner of the room was yet another staircase. There was absolutely nothing in the room she could see but shelves full of vials, glasses, and jars. Walking down one aisle, Evangeline eyed the objects on the shelves. Blood was in most of the jars and vials, while other strange liquids sat in the others, letting off a translucent glow.

Walking to the stair case, Evangeline found a table containing demented objects—dolls, skeletons, blades…some of their heads even turned to look at Evangeline.

"_I had to keep Zero-chan upstairs because she developed the nasty habit of killing my customers…"_

Evangeline shook Naruto's words from her mind as she approached the staircase, walking up it to find a door. Evangeline was just about to open the door when she heard a floorboard creak behind her. Turning swiftly, she found one of the dolls from the table staring up at her from the bottom step.

"Hey, lady," the doll called out to Evangeline, "If you go in there, Master's going to kill you~!"

Evangeline snorted, ignoring the doll and opening the door, entering the room and shutting it behind her. There were no lights on this floor—there didn't need to be. A large blue container sat in the middle of the room, blue energy twisting and turning inside it that let off a glow that illuminated the entire room in a dim light.

"You aren't supposed to be in here, Eva-chan."

Evangeline nearly jumped as Naruto appeared in front of the container, "W-What is that thing?"

"This?" Naruto smiled, "Well…I need to keep the store powered somehow…"

Evangeline's eyes widened, "Y-You bastard…"

"Come now, Eva-chan, you've committed your share of crimes and I mine," Naruto's tone became lighthearted, "Aren't you the "Dark Evangel"? The one that parents tell stories of to their kids to get them to behave? I just give people what they want—there's no evil in that."

"It's the payments you take that are evil!" Evangeline shouted, "All for this?"

"Don't misunderstand, Eva-chan, I am in no way a good person," Naruto said, his tone becoming cold and his eyes gaining an edge to them, "I hate humanity. It's as simple as that. Nothing can change that about me. This is just my way of playing with the cards I've been dealt with. I do not force anything on anyone—they choose to buy it themselves."

"You…this is all because of him, isn't it?" Evangeline shouted.

Naruto glared, "I'm beginning to dislike your amount information, Eva-chan. Despite being the "Undying Mage", you and I both know I could kill you. Now, I suggest you leave before I decide that you annoy me."

"…Why didn't you?"

"Excuse me?" Naruto's glare intensified.

"Why didn't you kill me?" Evangeline pressed, crossing her arms, "Why did you show that Asuna girl mercy? For that matter, why did you show me mercy that night?"

"…I don't see your point," Naruto turned to face the container.

"…You're not evil," Evangeline smirked, "No, it's because of something inside of you, isn't it? Something you keep trying to kill, right?"

Naruto didn't answer.

"Your mother…she was human, wasn't she?" Evangeline's smirk widened, "That's where the good in you is, right? No matter how much you try to deny it, you're still partly human inside!"

*Thwack*

Evangeline's smirk was still there, despite the blade imbedded in the wall next to her head.

"**Leave," **Naruto growled deeply, **"Now."**

"You're not smiling, that's a first," Evangeline laughed, "I'm not leaving until I know what you took."

"…Oh, really?" Naruto smirked devilishly.

"Really," Evangeline replied stubbornly.

* * *

Yuna, Akira, Makie, and Ako blinked as they let the volleyball they were tossing around drop to the ground. It was a nice afternoon that day and the group had walked out onto the Quad of Mahora to relax. Other students who had come to the grassy area also stopped and looked at the spectacle before them.

"Put me down now, you creep!"

"I don't think so, Eva-chan."

Walking straight through the grass was Naruto, with a flailing and struggling Evangeline thrown over his shoulder.

"I said put me down!" Evangeline struggled even more, "I'll kill you for this!"

"Sure, Eva-chan, whatever you say!" Naruto laughed, walking up to the four 2-A students, "Hello again, girls! I was wondering if you could tell me where Eva-chan here lives. She just won't leave me alone! I think she has a crush on me."

"I DO NOT!" Evangeline shouted, "I'll rip your head off for this, Uzumaki!"

"Ignore her," Naruto waved the blonde off, "So, if one of you could point me in the right direction? Eva-chan is being stubborn and won't tell me."

Akira shakily raised her arm and pointed towards the woods, clearly struggling not to laugh, "T-There, through the woods."

"Thank you," Naruto smiled before continuing on.

"I'll send you to Hell! You hear me, Uzumaki?"

"It's hard not to, Eva-chan. You're screaming in my ear."

As the two disappeared into the woods, the entire Quad began to laugh.

* * *

Chachamaru looked up from the dinner she was currently cooking as a knock on the door came. Turning down the stove, Chachamaru briskly walked to the door and opened it, blinked, rubbed her eyes, and then checked again to make sure she saw correctly. Yes, her Master was in fact being carried on a small boy's shoulder.

"I believe this belongs to you," Naruto said, motion with his free hand to Evangeline, who had taken to biting his neck and hitting his back with her fists, "I would suggest a leash—it may get loose again."

"…I see," Chachamaru picked Evangeline up from Naruto, setting her inside the house as she tried to push past the robot to kill the blond, "Well, thank you very much."

Naruto shook his head, "No problem. I'm always willing to lend a hand to my Zero-chan…I guess you're sort of like her older sister, then? Well, it was nice meeting you anyway."

Naruto turned to leave and Chachamaru closed the door and looked to her Master, "I'm very happy to see you made a friend today, Master. Should I invite him over for dinner sometime?"

"Chachamaru, if you invite that guy to set even one foot into this house, you're going to be dismantled!" Evangeline threatened as she stormed into the kitchen, _'That guy is so…'_

Naruto, who had his hands in his hoodie pockets, thought back to Evangeline's words from their run in, _'That girl is so…'_

'_Annoying!' _they both thought simultaneously.

* * *

Naruto sighed as he finally made it out of the woods, _'Who lives on campus in the middle of the woods anyway? Pesky girl…hm?'_

"Take this! Senior-Student-Attack!" a senior student declared, jumping into the air and throwing a volleyball towards Akira.

Before anyone knew what had happened, Naruto had appeared in front of Akira and caught the ball, "What exactly is going on here?"

Naruto glared at the senior girls. They wore black uniforms and were currently in a group of about nine, glaring at him.

"W-Who are you?" one of them yelled at the blond.

"N-Naruto-san? How did you move so fas—"

"Don't worry…Akira-chan, right?" Naruto smiled.

"Yes," Akira nodded, Yuna standing behind her, still impressed by the boy's show of speed.

"Hey, we asked you a question, pipsqueak!" another senior shouted.

Naruto glared at them, "I'm not an important guy, so you'd just forget my name even if I told you. What are you doing to these ladies?"

"Why should we answer to you?" the seniors yelled.

Naruto smiled a sweet smile, "…You know, I've had a very tiring day…first I lost a good deal and ended up with a mediocre employee, then a small and noisy girl managed to pry into my life far more than she should've…and now I have a group of idiots such as you all who are too stubborn for your own good…in short, I'm well past my patience, **so don't screw around with me, understand?"**

Every one of the girls looked at Naruto shocked as his tone turned from sweet and caring to dark and edgy in a matter of seconds. A chill slowly ran up the senior's spines as Naruto's eyes stared directly back into their own.

"H-Hey!"

Naruto broke his gaze with the seniors to find a…ten-year-old? Yes, some little kid running up to the group, _'Why does he look familiar?'_

"Who is it that's been picking on students from my class?" Negi cried, "I'm a teacher! I'll get mad!"

"…That's your sensei?" Naruto looked to Yuna, Akira and Makie and Ako, who'd just shown up "…Not very impressive, is he?"

"H-He's still young," Akira sweat-dropped.

"Negi-sensei will g-grow into it…" Yuna sighed.

Naruto nodded, but still had his doubts as the seniors began to fawn of Negi, hugging him and surrounding him. They were cut off as a ball flew through the air and hit one of them in the head. Angrily, they turned to find the attacker and found Asuna and Ayaka standing there, their arms crossed and they eyes filled with determination…this entrance was ruined, however, by Naruto's observation.

"Asuna-chan, you don't get off of work for another hour," Naruto called, "I'm docking this from your pay."

"W-What? But it's my first day and you left, so I thought—"

"Focus, Asuna-san," Ayaka snapped.

Asuna sighed but turned to face the seniors, "You guys had better get out of here! Just because you're older, doesn't mean you can push us around!"

"I know you two…Kagurazaka Asuna and Yukihiro Ayaka…" one of the seniors said, "You'd better listen to your superiors, kids like you should stick to playing in the corner! Also…isn't it unfair that your class gets to hog this cute little sensei? Why don't you let us keep him?"

"Who'd share with a bunch of grannies like you?" Ayaka shouted, rushing at the seniors.

"Don't get so full of yourselves just because your seniors!" Asuna shouted, following Ayaka.

"What'd you say, brats?" the seniors growled, stepping forward.

"E-Excuse me," Negi turned to Naruto, "Who are you?"

Naruto glanced at Negi, "Aren't you going to stop this?"

Negi nodded, "E-Everyone, please stop!"

Naruto shook his head and pulled off his hoodie, revealing a white undershirt, and handed the hoodie to Ako, "Please hold this for me, Nee-san. I'd rather not get it dirty."

Ako took the hoodie, blinking in curiosity as Naruto walked over the group of fighting girls. Jumping high into the air, Naruto came back down and hit the earth with his knee—hard. Dirt was kicked up and a small tremor followed the blow, knocking all the girls and Negi off their feet.

Naruto pulled at his undershirt and sighed at the specks of dirt, "Great…I had just cleaned this, too…"

"N-Naruto-san?" Ako mumbled.

Naruto walked over to the girl and retrieved his hoodie, slipping it back on, "Thanks, Nee-chan."

"W-What did you just do, Naruto?" Asuna shouted, being the first to recover and stand up.

Naruto glared at her, "Hush, Asuna-chan. None of you should be fighting in the first place. Seniors, if you are supposed to be the more mature ones here, act like it. Asuna-chan, Ayaka-chan, don't get so riled up by their words—it will just get you in more trouble."

"Well put, Uzumaki-san," Takahata commented as he walked onto the scene, causing Asuna to blush, "I have to say, that was quite unexpected of you."

Naruto snorted, turning to leave, "Don't read too much into it, Takamichi, I simply don't want any possible-customers harmed before they have a chance to buy something from my store. Asuna-chan, I expect to see you at work tomorrow at the same time. If you're on time, I won't deduct anything from your pay for today's mishap. Negi-san…"

Negi's looked at Naruto with interest as his name was called, "Y-Yes?"

"…That was pathetic," Naruto said coldly, shocking everyone there with his apathy, "You're supposed to be a teacher, right? Act like one. You not only let your students down, but your lack of an ability to restore order could've gotten them hurt. Your students trusted you enough to come to you when they needed you—don't disappoint them."

Having said that, Naruto walked away, leaving the Quad with every pairs of eyes on his retreating figure.

"T-That was…" Ako paused.

"Harsh," Yuna finished.

"H-How dare that little punk be so rude to Negi-sensei!" Ayaka shouted in outrage, "Who does he think he is?"

"Y-You okay, Negi-sensei?" Makie walked over to the boy, kneeling down next to him.

"H-He's right…" Negi mumbled before looking up with determination, "I'm going to try harder to become someone you all can depend on from now on!"

Takahata smiled lightly as the 2-A girl's surrounded Negi, _'Uzumaki-san…there may be more good in you than you realize.'_

Naruto rubbed the sleep out of his eyes as he stared at his latest customer. It was easily past 3 A.M. and right now, he didn't feel like dealing with customers, "Welcome, how can I help you?"

"I-I've heard that you can give people what they need the most…" Sayo said, still shocked that the boy in front of her could see her. Ever since her classmate Asuna had gotten her new job, Sayo had heard rumors of a shop that could sell someone "exactly what they need."

"That's right…" Naruto mumbled, feeling too tired to do his normal "Don't-Tell-Me" routine, "What did you have in mind?"

"I-I…" Sayo blushed, "I want a friend!"

"…A friend?" Naruto was suddenly wide awake and feeling a headache coming on, "Let's see…do you mind if it kills people and is a blood-thirsty murderer?"

"…Er…Yes, I don't think I want that kind of friend…" Sayo replied.

"...Damn…That's the only type I have in stock…" Naruto sighed, "Well, I can't just refuse a request…"

"C-Could you be my friend?"

Naruto froze, "Come again?"

"C-C-Could you be my friend?" Sayo blushed, looking to the ground.

"…Oh boy…" Naruto sighed, rubbing his temple, "...I don't have a choice, do I? Okay, Sayo-chan, I'll be your friend. You said you were a ghost, right?"

Sayo nodded happily, "Y-Yes!"

"Then I suppose I can't exactly ask for your soul…" Naruto sighed, "I can't ask for body parts…you don't have any possessions or money…and that leaves…"

Naruto slapped his forehead, causing Sayo to look at him, confused, "What's wrong?"

"Sayo-chan, how'd you like to work here?" Naruto answered, "I'm guessing you have nowhere else to go, right?"

"I don't have a home…" Sayo nodded.

"Okay, you'll stay here with me and work off your rent by working for me," Naruto rubbed his eye as he felt his pillow calling for him, "And all the while, I'll be your friend. Deal?"

"Deal!" Sayo cheered happily.

"Great," Naruto yawned, "Now, first order of business, let's go to bed."

* * *

"…You're going to be late because of _what_?"

Sayo looked on confused as Naruto's grip tightened on the phone in his hands. Just moments ago, while deciding on what to do for the day, the phone had rung with Asuna on the other line. Sayo didn't really understand much after that, hearing only snippets of the conversation such as "Seniors? Those ones from yesterday?" and "What do you mean you're going to be late?"

"Dodgeball?" Naruto shouted in shock, "You're skipping out on work to play a game of dodgeball?"

Sayo could make out mumbling from the other line that sounded like Asuna, but couldn't tell what she was saying.

"Don't even try to give me any excuses for this one!" Naruto growled, "So what if they wanted to use the court you guys had for gym? They said they'd take Negi? Since when can students decide which classroom a teacher is assigned to? What? No, don't put Akira on the pho—Hello, Akira-chan. No, nothing's wrong, but Asuna said she's going to be late because of a game of dodgeball? I see…would it be possible for Asuna not to participate? Come again? What's "Baka-Power"?"

Sayo floated over to Naruto, who now had his head laid down on the counter, one hand holding the phone to his ear while the other had a tight grip on his hair.

"I see…could you put Asuna back on the line, please?" Naruto sighed, "…What do you mean she said "no"? She said she's "afraid"? No, I don't want to talk to Ak—Hello, Ako-chan. Yes, I heard about the dodgeball game. Is Asuna there? Yes, from what I know, it is a weird situation. No, don't apologize, I don't understand what's going on either…excuse me? N-No, please don—Hello, Eva-chan…yes, I know…yes, I know…no, I'm not going to tell you what I took as a payment Eva-chan…look, can you just tell me what the Hell's happening over there? Hello? Eva-chan? Damn it…"

"I-Is everything alright, Naruto-kun?" Sayo asked, floating a few inches over his shoulder.

"…C'mon, Sayo-chan, we have work to do…" Naruto shook his head, grumbling about "stupid kids" and "dodgeball" as he stepped out the door.

* * *

"So, this is the World Tree, huh?" Naruto stared up at the large tree, taking in the sight. It was easily one of the largest things Naruto had come across in his long life, "Interesting."

Sayo nodded, "The World Tree has been here since Mahora was founded!"

The plaza that surrounded the World Tree was large, with a cobblestone paving leading up to a set of stairs that led to the World Tree itself. Surrounding that were numerous stores, many of which Naruto glared at, seeing more people enter them in a few minutes than people enter his in a week. The peacefulness of the scene was completed with the sun setting over the horizon and the street light coming on, the students of Mahora quietly walking by.

"…Sayo-chan, you've been here a long time, haven't you?" Naruto asked casually, walking up to the World Tree and patting its bark with his hand, "How deep would you say the tree's roots run?"

"I'm not too sure. I've heard rumors that they go very deep, though, and run throughout all of Mahora!" Sayo chimed, floating over to Naruto, "Why?"

"Just wondering," Naruto frowned, turning around, "Anyway, let's head back. Asuna should be at the shop by now…"

* * *

"This is cruel and unusual punishment!" Asuna shouted into the store, blushing like mad.

"Deal with it," Naruto called back, never looking up from his book, "Yesterday, you left work early, and today you came in late, so you have to make up for it! Now look cute and attract more customers!"

Asuna grumbled, but turned back to the large crowd of people passing through the shopping district, "C-Come on in, everyone! Nya~!"

Asuna was currently in a maid outfit (which left her to wonder why Naruto even had that) and currently wore a pair of cat ears on her head and a tail. She had shown up at the shop a short time after Naruto and Sayo had returned and was forced into the costume and instructed to "drawl in customers".

"I-Isn't this a little cruel, Naruto-kun?" Sayo asked as she stacked more books on the shelves, which appeared to be moving on their own to a normal person.

"She has to learn her lesson somehow, Sayo-chan," Naruto replied, flipping a page, "At least this way we can make a profit."

Asuna sighed, turning to the next person walking down the street, "Come on in, nya~!"

"A-Asuna-chan?"

Asuna's eyes snapped open as she recognized the voice, "T-Takahata-sensei?"

Takahata tried to spare Asuna of her embarrassment by looking to the sky, "I was looking for Uzumaki-san…is he in?"

Asuna, blushing madly, pointed to the door, "H-He's in there…"

Takahata entered the store, catching Naruto's attention. Looking to the bookshelves, Takahata was surprised to find Sayo working diligently on stacking and sorting multitudes of books on the shelves.

"What can I do for you, Takamichi?" Naruto asked, "Changed your mind about that powder I offered?"

Takahata shook his head, "No, Uzumaki-san, I'm here to tell you that Konoe-san has requested your presence."

"Konoe?" Naruto turned back to his book and waved Takahata off, "Forget it. I'm not some errand boy and I'm not a servant—if Konoe wants to talk to me about something, he'll have to pay up. Now, if you're not going to buy anything, please leave."

"Ah, but Konoe-san is willing to pay you a fair amount should your job be done correctly, there may even be the prospect of treasure to add to your collection," Takahata offered, adjusting his glasses.

"…I'm listening," Naruto caved, "Now, before I go to Konoe, tell me the basics of what he's expecting me to do."

"You see, exams are coming up in Mahora," Takahata explained, "And our friend Negi-kun will be having a final test to see if he's fit to be a teacher or not. The class he is in charge of is notorious for coming last in grades, and if he wants to prove himself, he needs to change that. Konoe has obstacles prepared for Negi-kun and you will be there to evaluate how Negi handles them under the guise of treasure hunting."

Naruto stood from the counter and set his book down, "Sayo-chan, Takamichi and I are going to discuss some business. Once you're done there, please dust off the blood containers on the second floor."

"Hai, Naruto-kun!" Sayo waved them off.

* * *

Konoe offered Naruto a mile as the blond entered his office, "I'm glad to see you've considered the offer, Uzumaki-san."

"How much are you willing to pay me?" Naruto asked immediately as he sat down on one of the couches in the room

"That will all depend on how well you do in your task," Konoe leaned over his desk and slid Naruto a slip of paper, "But it will range from these numbers."

Naruto flipped open the paper and smirked, "Alright…on one condition."

"And that would be?"

"I want the artifact that they're going to be searching for," Naruto crossed his arms, "After the job is done, I expect it along with the money. Do we have a deal?"

"For what reason do you want the book?" Konoe questioned.

"For my own reasons," Naruto answered, "I am a treasure hunter—I have an natural instinct not to let any treasure I come across out of my grasp."

Konoe hesitated before nodding, "Very well, Uzumaki-san."

"Good," Naruto stood up and headed for the door, "I accept the job, then."

Takahata turned to Konoe as the door closed, "Do you trust him?"

"I trust him…if only to carry out his current assignment," Konoe sighed, turning to look out the window, "But I can't help but question why he came to Mahora."

"He said he had a large order to fill," Takahata recalled.

"That is what worries me the most," Konoe sighed, "Uzumaki Naruto has been known to work for clients of all kinds, retrieving magical items no matter how the client plans to use them. I'm quite worried over who his client is…Mahora is a place of great magic, but I can't imagine Naruto going to the trouble of setting up his store here for more than a few days to get a magical book he could have easily stolen before…I can't imagine what his order was, but you can be certain that Naruto will complete it no matter what the cost."

* * *

"W-What? Broken up?" Asuna shouted in shock.

Konoka nodded, "The lowest scoring class is supposed to be broken up! I like the class we have now—it's fun!"

2-A sat in the hot waters of the baths, discussing the upcoming exams and the new rumors flying around the school that came with them. The baths were large, almost like a pool and the surrounding tropical plants gave it the look of belonging in a five-star hotel, let alone a school.

"T-This is bad! We're the ones dragging the class down!" Makie panicked.

"Even if we study with everything we've got, it won't be enough-aru!" Ku Fei added.

"…If it comes down to it…" Yue spoke up, "There's always that thing."

"Y-You have a way out, Yue?" Asuna exclaimed, moving through the water to sit next to the girl.

"You guys know about Library Island, right? It's where our Library Expedition Club meets," Yue explained, "Well, the truth is, there's supposed to be a magical book deep inside it that makes the owner smarter. I always thought it was just a good textbook, but it would still be useful to have."

"That's just an urban legend, Yue!" Haruna laughed

"There are a lot of weird people in our class, but magic can't exist, right?" Makie sighed, sinking into the water.

Asuna, being the only one in the small group to know magic existed, lit up, "We've got to get that book!"

Yue shook her head, "Library Island is full of traps. We've been exploring it for a long time now and we still don't have even half of the area mapped out. It would take an expert to get to the book."

"…I think…" Asuna couldn't believe what she was saying, "…I think I know someone who could help us…"

Ignoring the confused stares of her classmates, Asuna waded through the water to the edge and got out, running to her clothes and pulling out a phone before she began to dial and hold it up to her ear, "Pick up…pick up…"

Nodoka looked to Asuna, "W-Who are you calling?"

Asuna held up a finger to her lips to quiet the group, "H-Hello…yes, it's me. No, I'm not afraid to call you! Geez…I just need your help, okay? You're supposed to be a treasure hunter, right? Then this should be perfect for you! Payment? Why do you need a payment? Can't you just do something for free from the bottom of your heart? You do to have a heart! Stop screwing around! Okay, how about I work overtime for free for three days! How about four days? Five? Fine, I'll do it for a full week!"

Asuna snapped her phone shut and growled, setting back with her things before returning to the baths, "I really hope this works…"

* * *

Okay! That's the end of chapter two! I know some of you are wondering why I updated so fast, but that's because I got so many reviews for this story's first chapter! Thanks everyone! Now, onto the poll!

I'd like to thank everyone for voting, but I should also clear some things up about it. It is not going to be a super large pairing with a bunch of girls. Naruto's pairing will contain three girls, Evangeline included and one of the girls will be Ako as well. Why? Because someone sent me as awesome PM yesterday explaining why he wanted Ako in plus another friend of mine that helped me with ideas for a lot of my stories wanted Ako in, too.

Current Pairing: Naruto x Eva x Ako x ?

Poll (one spot left in the pairing!):

Yuna: 4

Asuna: 6

Akira: 5

Madoka: 2

Sakurako: 1

Sayo: 7

Asakura: 8

Chizuru: 8

Ku Fei: 3

Chao: 3

Sorry to everyone who wanted a single pairing, but by last chapter everyone had already voted, so it's a little late to change it, so I'm really sorry if the pairing doesn't turn out to your liking. I hope you all enjoyed the chapter, please leave a review, and remember that the polls close chapter 5! See you next week!

* * *


	3. What You Need is Paranoia

Hello folks! Back again with another chapter! I really enjoy writing for this story, so let's respond to some reviews!

**Ignisha: **Don't worry, I'm not putting any of my stories on hiatus or anything, I just want to get this one started off right! Thanks for reviewing!

**Junky: **Really? That's weird. Anyway, thanks for telling me, but I'm not worried! I don't think anyone would do that without a reason, but thank you again for your concern and reviewing!

**Crimsonkyuubi: **If you wanted to see a crossover with a NaruxAsuna pairing, Ignisha has one published right now. Thank you for reviewing!

**Capito Celcior: **Sorry about that. But thanks, I'll try my best! I kinda have a few different options on how to line Ako up in the story, but they all end the same way in the Festival arc.

**Demoncreater2002: **I know the summary isn't the best, but it's the accursed word limit! I had this great one going on in my head, but when I typed it all down I found I was going to be over the limit and I couldn't type it all!

**Digman14: **While he's not gonna be an all-out baddie, Naruto's going to be leaning more towards the dark side in this one, so you can expect a Naruto vs. Negi match sometime down the line! Naruto is also probably going to be as strong as you think he is, if not a little more.

**Deathsilver: **Okay, when it comes to voting, you can vote once per chapter. You can vote for more than one girl in each chapter, too!

**Ricieri1: **Don't worry, everything will be explained as the story goes on!

**Mk14ebr: **I know, but the plot bunnies out number me! Some of my ideas do seem evil, huh? You have no idea! MWHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAH! Also, don't worry; I plan to continue on all my stories! I just write what I have fun writing the most, and that's currently this one! But rest assured that all my stories will be updated…eventually!

**FFXFan13: **That's going to be a fun part in the story! Don't worry, I already have a few different ideas brewing for how that may happen! Also, I get that xxxHolic thing a lot about this story, but I've never read it! Weird, huh?

**Relyt: **"Needul Thing"? I've never heard of it, sorry.

**OBSERVER01: **I've never actually read xxxHolic, so I wouldn't really know if it's similar. I based it more on Howl's Moving Castle, if that helps any.

**Durandal II: **I do have an explanation for Naruto being smart, but it mostly deals with his age. You don't get to be his age without learning a few things…that's sounds a little odd, though.

**Infinite Freedom:** It's really not that big of a stretch when you consider that it's common for mages to have more than one Probationary Contract in Negima and considering that Evangeline has been around for such a long time, I think she'd be well aware and used to that.

**Naruto7144: **Well, Negima is one of those shows where I love most of the characters, so choosing one is always difficult for me, but I also don't want it to be this huge harem like the actual manga, so I wanted narrow it down more.

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or Negima.

* * *

"…_Naruto…there's no chance I can convince you to pick a different path, is there?"_

"_If you mean you want to try and make me like you than you can save your breath."_

"…_I see…"_

"_Now leave."_

"_If…you ever do something I cannot forgive…if I ever, even for one moment, believe that you are a threat, I won't hesitate to kill you." _

Naruto stared up at the large castle before him, fiddling with the canteen that hung on his belt. Really? They had a library this big? Whatever, he was getting paid, so he'd accept it. Glancing around the area, he sighed. He was alone among the fallen pillars and lush grass of the island, the shadows dancing around him as he leaned against the large door leading into the library.

"Is this really okay? The lower levels are off-limits to students…"

"It's a library—how dangerous could it be?"

"Don't be fooled. I told you there were traps in there."

'_It's about damn time…' _Naruto pushed off against the door as he approached the group, "So, is this everyone?"

The group, which consisted of Asuna, Negi, Yue, Konoka, Kaede, Ku Fei, and Makie nodded.

"Are you sure you'll be able to handle everything down there, Naruto-san?" Yue questioned, casting an unsure glance to Naruto.

Naruto smiled, "There isn't anything in there that I can't handle, Yue-chan. So, shall we head inside?"

* * *

"So, where are we now, Yue?" Asuna asked, looking around at the current area. It was practically a maze made of bookshelves. It had to be far larger than the gymnasium and it even had waterfalls running through it and tree growing freely! Books upon books were placed neatly onto the shelves as they took in the glow of the moon from the windows in the room.

"This is the third floor of the basement. From this point on, students are not allowed here," Yue said, looking down at her map, "We'll need to reach the eleventh floor and follow a passage there to get to the book, but the whole trip should take about four hours."

"We'll be back in time to get some sleep!" Makie smiled.

"A-Asuna-san, look!" Negi cried excitedly as he drifted to the shelves, "This book is very rare!"

Negi pulled the book, causing an arrow to fly out, poised to hit his head, only for it to be grabbed mere moments away from hitting Negi by Kaede, "Please be more careful of traps, Negi-bouzu."

Yue nodded, "In order to keep thieves from the rarer books, traps have been placed, so be wary."

Asuna turned to Naruto and glared, "I thought you said you could handle anything!"

"I can," Naruto replied, walking ahead of the group and dodging seven more arrows that fired as he grabbed a few books before turning back to the group, "A treasure hunter is supposed to go get the treasure while the client waits. I expected you all to wait outside for me, so please don't hold me responsible if anything happens."

Negi turned to Yue, "Why are we coming down here again?"

"We need to find a magical book, Negi-sensei," Makie explained, "So we won't come last in the scoring!"

"A-A magical book?" Negi cried, turning to Asuna in a hushed whisper, "Asuna-san, I thought we agreed on not relying on magic? I sealed my magic for three days because of our agreement!"

Asuna grinned sheepishly, "But if our grades don't improve, something bad will happen, understand?"

"Oi, hurry up!" Naruto called.

The group looked over to Naruto, shocked to see him already halfway across the room, _'F-Fast!'_

"We're coming!"

"D-Don't leave us behind-aru!"

"Wait, Naruto-san!"

* * *

The group continued deeper into the library, Negi nearly falling into about three more traps on the way, causing Asuna to sigh, _'H-He really isn't much with his magic sealed, is he? Maybe we shouldn't have brought him.'_

"There's a resting point up ahead," Yue called, "We can stop and eat the food we brought and take a break there."

"A break? We should continue until we reach our destination," Naruto commented, hanging back to allow the group to catch up.

"But Naruto-san, I've been waiting for this-aru!" Ku Fe exclaimed, "It's just like a picnic with everyone!"

Naruto found his arguments drowned out as the group sat upon a large table, laughing and eating as they had their break. Naruto shook his head and sat on the edge of the table, away from everyone else as he removed the canteen of blood he had brought and took a swig, _'Kids…I could've had this job done in an hour if I didn't have to wait and watch Negi…'_

"What are you drinking, Naruto-san?" Negi smiled as he sat down with the blond.

Naruto smirked, "Blood."

"W-What?" Negi jumped, landing on his back on the floor.

"What's wrong, Negi?" Asuna asked, as the group turned to the duo.

"B-Blood! In his canteen!" Negi pointed, shivering.

The group turned to Naruto with confused eyes.

Naruto laughed lightly, "I was only joking, Negi-san. It's tomato juice, not blood—don't be so afraid. You act like I'm an evil maniac."

Ku Fei laughed, "See, Negi-sensei? It's just juice-aru!"

While the rest of the group returned to their previous conversations, Asuna cast an unsure glance at Naruto, who noticed. Naruto, turning his head so that he could just see Asuna out of the corner of his eye, smirked and sent a knowing look to Asuna making her turn pale and sending a shiver up her spine.

"N-Naruto-san?" Negi called out, seeing the unspoken conversation between the blond and Asuna.

Naruto hopped off the table and kneeled down to Negi's position on the floor, "Let me make myself clear, Negi. I'm not your friend. I will not help you, I will not protect you, and I don't need you trying to pry into my business. Not everyone you meet will be as kind as Konoe or Takahata. There are still plenty of monsters in this world, and I am one of them, whether you accept it or not."

"Negi-sensei, Naruto-san, we're moving on!" Yue called to the two.

"Coming, Yue-chan!" Naruto replied cheerfully before turning back to Negi, "Remember that."

Negi starred dumbly as Naruto walked further down the maze before frowning and following after the group.

* * *

Naruto scowled at the large statues that stood before him, _'What are you planning…Konoe?'_

It had taken far longer than Naruto would have liked to finally reach the book. The room was large and intricate with large book shelves lining the right and left sides of the room and numerous pillars holding the ceiling up. At the end of the room was a large hole with an altar erected on the other side of the gap. On the altar stood a pedestal with a large book on it and two giant stone statues, one holding a hammer while the other held a sword.

"The vault of the magic book…" Yue mumbled, looked around and taking in the sight.

"To think a place like this was under our school," Asuna spoke, looking to the altar.

"T-That's the Book of Merkisedek!" Negi exclaimed as he pointed to the pedestal, "I-I can't believe I'm actually seeing it with my own eyes!"

"You mean it the real deal?" Asuna questioned, stepping besides Negi.

"This is a magical tome of the highest level!" Negi explained, "It's true that you could get smarter by using it, but that's only a small part of—"

"We did it!" Makie shouted in joy as she and the other Baka Rangers began to run for the book.

Naruto's eyes widened, "W-Wait! If you approach it so easily, you're bound to be—"

The floor the Baka Rangers stood on gave way, landing them on a stone Twister-mat with different translations marking the circles right in front of the altar.

"…trapped," Naruto growled in annoyance, _'These humans are making things far more difficult than they need to be…'_

"Hohoho…"

The group froze as they heard laughter come from above them and, looking up, found the two giant statues glaring down at them.

"If you want this book, you'll have to answer my questions first!" the statue holding the hammer called, taking a step off the altar.

Naruto narrowed his eyes, _'What are you up to, Konoe? If you had these things stationed here for you, why send me?'_

"W-W-What the Hell?" Asuna shouted, "Why is that statue moving?"

"First question! What is the English translation for 'Difficult'?" the statue questioned.

"Everyone calm down!" Negi called, "If you answer the questions correctly, you can get out of the trap! Press the correct spot for the answer!"

"B-But, Sensei…" Makie called out.

"What is 'Di...Difficult'-aru?" Ku Fei questioned.

"I-If I tell you, we'll be disqualified!" Negi sweat-dropped.

"It's the opposite of 'Easy'!" Konoka answered from next to where Negi stood.

Naruto shook his head, "I can't believe this…"

* * *

Smiling lightly to himself, Naruto sighed in happiness, _'Actually, I think I like this trap…'_

The girls were currently twisted and huddle together, struggling to keep themselves held up in the painful positions they were in. So far, they had run through about fifteen questions, leaving the girls mentally exhausted (which, when Naruto thought about it, was kind of pathetic) and Negi nearly fainting from a nosebleed.

"Final question!" the statue bellowed, "What is the English translation for 'Dish'?"

"D…Dish-aru?" Ku Fei mumbled in confusion.

"You stack them! They're considered dinnerware!" Negi shouted, trying to give his students as many hints as possible.

"It's like in 'main-dish'!" Konoka called.

"I…It's 'Osara', isn't it?" Asuna shouted from underneath Makie.

"Got it!" Makie shouted, moving her hand on to the "O" button.

"Sa…" Asuna mumbled to herself, hitting the "Sa" button.

"Ra!" Asuna and Makie finished as they both tapped the "Ru" button.

"…Osar_u_?" Negi mumbled, looking at the Twister game in shock.

"WRONG!" the large statue roared, slamming his hammer down on the floor and creating a large hole. The hammer-wielding statue, Negi, Konoka, and the Baka Rangers fell down into its depths, shouting at Asuna and Makie for screwing up all the way down, leaving Naruto and the statue holding the sword in the room.

"How have things been so far, Uzumaki-san?" the statue questioned.

"Without his magic, he's useless," Naruto grimaced, casting a suspicious look to the statue, "More importantly, why are you here, Konoe? I thought the whole point of me being here was because you couldn't."

"Do not worry, Uzumaki-san. I assure you that your presence was very much needed here and that you will receive the reward I promised at the end of this little trip," the statue replied, "However, I believe your job is not finished. Negi and his students, along with the book you came to get, are down there, and that means…"

Naruto sighed, walking over to the hole, "I expect a raise for this…"

Naruto jumped down into the hole, leaving behind the statue.

"…I'm sorry for deceiving you, Uzumaki-san, but I cannot allow such a threat to exist around my students," the statue mumbled, "I hope you can forgive me after this is over…"

* * *

Naruto glanced around the room as he landed gracefully on the water below him. The ceiling was held up by multiple tree roots and the area was covered in scattered bookshelves, crammed with books of all kinds. Reaching down into the water, Naruto found it to be warm and, looking to the beaches that covered the area, decided that the place was more of a tropical getaway than a library. Naruto looked to a small patch of sand that rose out of the water, finding the rest of his group there knocked out. His sharp eyes fell on Asuna's, whose forearm began to darken as a bruise slowly formed.

'_Great, an injury…' _Naruto carefully glanced over each of their necks, _'It'd be so easy…'_

Shaking his head to rid himself of the thought, Naruto raised his canteen to his ear and shook it, grimacing when he heard very little blood left, _'Damn.'_

Settling himself into the sand next to Asuna, Naruto fell back into the warm sand and began to drift to sleep, _'You'd better hope for your sakes that we get out of here soon…before I get thirsty.'_

"W…Where are we?" Asuna yawned, rubbing her eyes as she sat up from the sand.

"I remember," Negi answered, blinking his eyes opened as he sat up as well, "That golem knocked us down here after we failed that trap."

Asuna nodded in remembrance before her eyes widened at the room before her, "W-Where the Hell is this?"

"Are we still in the library?" Konoka wondered aloud as she stood.

"Amazing, we fell all the way down here-aru!" Ku Fei exclaimed as she examined the area around them.

Yue stepped forward, "C-Could this be the legendary 'Deep Library'?"

"The what?" Konoka questioned.

"It's a book-lover's paradise!" Yue explained, "Nothing but rare books as far as the eye can see and all the time you could possibly want to read them!"

Naruto chose this moment to drown out the babble of the students with his thoughts, _'Konoe said the book fell down here with them…where is it? I need to find that thing before they find a way out of here.'_

"—ruto-san? Naruto-san?"

"Hm? What is it?" Naruto blinked, coming back into reality to see Makie waving a hand in front of his face.

"Are you alright? You spaced out on us for a minute," Konoka commented, stepping over to the blond.

Naruto smiled, "I'm fine…still, what are you all going to do now? You're stuck down here for the time being."

"H-He's right-de gozaru…" Kaede mumbled.

"We won't be able to make it in time for the test!" Makie cried.

"T-This isn't good," Yue muttered, "There doesn't seem to be anyway to climb up…"

'_I'm in charge of this class…I've got to show some courage!' _Negi decided, "E-Everyone, please listen! I'm not sure how, but we will find a way out of here and make it back in time for the test! So, until then, we should study to prepare ourselves!"

"Study?"

"At a time like this-aru?" Ku Fei giggled at her teacher's idea.

"You sure are optimistic, Negi-sensei," Konoka smiled.

"T-Thank you, Negi-sensei," Makie spoke up, "We're in this mess because of Asuna and me…"

"Not at all! If we study now, we won't need a magic book!" Negi exclaimed happily.

'_Speak for yourself,' _Naruto scowled as he stalked off from the rest of the group, "While you start studying, I'll look for a way out. My store can't be closed for long—my customers will lose their loyalty!"

After Naruto was out of sight, Yue turned to Asuna, "How many customers go to his shop anyway?"

Asuna shook her head, "I haven't seen one."

* * *

"You've got to be kidding me…" Naruto couldn't believe his eyes. The sight was so ridiculous that he actually rubbed his eyes, double checked to make sure he had seen correctly, rubbed his once more, and finally checked a third time. Yes, before him stood a door clearly marked 'exit'. He had been searching the area without using any of his abilities to avoid being discovered by the students. This, however, came with unfortunate side effect of having to take longer to find the exit and thus go longer without blood. They had been stuck for about two days now, leaving them with one day until the exam and one day for Naruto to find the book.

"…Are you serious, Konoe?" Naruto shook his head, before smirking, "Well, works for me…now all I need to do is to get that book…hm?"

"Okay, we've got the book!"

"Let's look for a short cut to the surface while he's confused!"

"I told you that you won't find a way out! Give up and return the book!"

"We won't give it back-aru!"

"What…are they doing?" Naruto's eye twitched. Running towards his direction was the entire group, the book notably in Ku Fei's hands, with Konoe's hammer-towing golem in pursuit of them.

"Naruto-san, you found an exit!" Konoka beamed as she and everyone finally reached the door.

"Y-You found the book, right?" Naruto looked to the book, "Then let's leave."

"Are you okay, Naruto-san? You seem pale," Yue commented.

"I'm fine," Naruto replied, _'The sooner I get blood, the better.'_

"T-This is bad!" Makie cried.

"What is?" Asuna questioned, "Get in the door already!"

"There's some kind of question on the door!" Yue shouted.

"Damn it, I'm through putting up with this!" Naruto muttered, "Stand aside!"

Naruto pushed his way to the door and, in a swift and fluid motion, kicked the door in. The group quickly got over there shock when they heard the giant golem coming from behind them and ran inside to discover a large and empty room with a spiral staircase leading to the top.

"C-Can we even climb this?" Konoka shouted, seeing no end to the stairs.

"Get back here!"

"Looks like we don't have a choice! Get moving!" Naruto shouted, charging up the stairs with the rest of the group following behind him. It didn't take long for the golem to bust through the door and run up the stairs after them.

Naruto glared as he saw another wall with a question in front of him on the stairs, "Annoying!"

Naruto threw back his fist and slammed it into the wall, never missing a step as the stone crumbled to pieces.

"H-How are you doing that?" Makie shouted, "You're only ten!"

"Never mind that! Just keep moving!" Naruto answered, shoving his fist through another wall.

* * *

"L-Look everyone!" Negi shouted, pointing to the top of the stairs. After what seemed like ages, the group had finally reached the top to reveal…an elevator? Naruto resisted the urge to smack his forehead.

'_You installed an elevator, Konoe?' _Naruto shook his head, "Everyone inside!"

Everyone packed inside the elevator while the golem smashed his way ever closer. Naruto stiffened as he looked at his shaking hand, _'Damn it…if I don't get blood soon…'_

"W-We made it!" Asuna exclaimed, "Now let's get to the surface!"

"_Notice: Overload. This elevator is overloaded."_

"W-W-What?" Asuna shouted.

"W-We must have eaten too much while we were here-aru!" Ku Fei exclaimed.

"Makie-san, how much do you weigh right now?" Yue questioned.

"D-Don't ask me! What about Asuna and Ku Fei?" Makie blushed.

"All I did was study!" Asuna yelled, before going to test an idea she had.

"It has the space, but not the power, huh?" Konoka commented to herself quietly.

"E-Everyone, drop everything you're holding!" Asuna declared, "If I put my foot outside the door, the notice stops! All we need to do is drop a little weight!"

"Get rid of your clothes! We lose weight that way-aru!" Ku Fei exclaimed and, with no arguments or objections much to Naruto's surprise, the girls began to eagerly tear of their clothing and throw them out the elevator door…

'_Maybe this was worth it after all…' _Naruto smiled before shaking his head, _'…No, it wasn't.'_

"I-It's no good!" Makie cried, "It's not enough!"

Yes, even if the stupid plan gave Naruto a good show, he still had to shake his head at the idiocy of the girls before him, _'You'd think one of these girls would question the fact that we're being chased by a giant statue...'_

"I've got you now!"

Well, in the time it had taken the girls to pull off their clothes, the golem had made it to the top step and was currently peering into the elevator at them. Negi, staring back at the golem's red eye and ignoring his student's screams, walked out of the elevator and stood defensively in front of the door.

"N-Negi-sensei?"

"What are you doing-aru?"

"Everyone, please return to the surface and take the test!" Negi called without looking back.

"B-But your magic!" Asuna mumbled.

"Hey, golem! Your opponent is right here!" Negi shouted as the golem stood to tower over him.

"Brave child…but also foolish!" the golem roared as he pulled back his fist and brought it down. Just as the fist would have connected with Negi's head, however, Asuna grabbed him by the back of his collar and yanked him back into the elevator.

"A-Asuna-san!" Negi shouted in shock as he looked to the girl.

"Have you forgotten this is your test, too? What's the point of taking the test without you being there?" Asuna shouted, "Stop trying to act cool!"

"B-But what will we do about the golem?" Negi asked.

"This!" Asuna replied, raising the book in her hands.

'_S-She's not…she wouldn't!' _Naruto froze in horror as he watched Asuna throw the book off the elevator and onto the ground before it. The elevator notice went dead and the doors slowly began to draw shut.

'…_She did,' _Naruto slapped his forehead.

"I-It's moving!"

"We're out of here!"

"Not quite," Naruto quickly moved to stick his foot in the door just as it was about to seal shut, "But I'll be seeing you all."

"N-Naruto-san?"

"What are you doing-aru?"

"Come back inside-de gozaru!"

"Are you insane?"

Naruto just turned and gave a sly smile and wave just as the doors finally closed and the elevator began its ascent to the surface. Turning to the large golem that still stood there, Naruto bent down and picked up the book, dusting it off before shoving it under his arm, "Well, that was an interesting experience and all Konoe, but I suggest you get me to the surface quickly. Being without blood for three days has left me less than up to par."

"I see…I don't suppose there is any way I can convince you that the book and payment are reward enough and that you can take those and leave Mahora?"

Naruto frowned before smirking, "Sorry, Konoe, but I have a mission to complete. This little prize is just a bonus."

"And you still refuse to tell me what that mission is?"

Naruto's smirk widened, "I already told you—that would spoil the surprise."

"…Then I'm afraid I have no other choice."

Naruto frowned, "Konoe?"

Without warning and in one fluid movement, the golem had backhanded Naruto off of the spiral staircase and sent him plummeting to the ground, "If you refuse to tell me, I must assume the worst for my student's sakes! I cannot allow such a threat to my students to hang over them!"

The golem then leapt off the stairs, following Naruto on his way down with his hammer drawn to slam into the ground. Naruto hit the stone floor first, the hammer coming down on top of him as the golem landed on his feet, "I am sorry, Naruto…but my student's safety is my main priority. I could not allow you to harm it…I could not allow you to live!"

"Don't make me laugh old man…you really think that'd be enough to kill me?"

"W-What?"

Konoe watched from his office through his crystal ball, shocked as the hammer of his golem shattered, revealing a completely unharmed Naruto. Not only was there not even a single scratch on him, but he was laughing! Laughing like an insane monster about to leap at his victim.

"Don't tell me you thought that I, a collector of rare and magical artifacts, wouldn't have any at my disposal?" Naruto smirked, "You see, Konoe, while I usually deliver artifacts to people who order them or keep them to trade to someone who comes into my store, when I find one that is particularly useful, I keep it for myself to use! In fact, I have quite a few on me right now…"

Before Konoe even knew what happened, Naruto had disappeared from view and reappeared in front of his golems head, slamming his fist into its face and sending it toppling over backwards on the ground, a few feet away from where Naruto landed gracefully seconds later, "The first of which are these boots I wear."

Naruto gestured to the hiking boots on his feet, "These are called the "Seven Leagues Boots." Normally, they allow a person to move a total of seven leagues (roughly 21 miles) in a single step. Any distance shorter than that, I can move in barely a fraction of a second."

The golem struggled to stand up, its head completely smashed to pieces from the powerful punch of the blond.

"The next is my belt," Naruto laughed, "It is known as the "Girdle of Might", and once was a part of a suit of armor given to the god Thor. I'm sure you've already noticed it's effects, but in case you haven't, it makes my already staggering physical power as a dhampir even stronger, to the point that I can destroy just about anything with a simple punch."

The golem, with the last burst of energy it had, grabbed the broken and sharp handle of his hammer and drove it into Naruto's chest…only for the stone handle to shatter on contact with the boy.

"That leads me to the third and final piece that I am currently wearing, the Aegis," Naruto smirked, "An impenetrable cloth that was woven and given to the goddess Athena to act as the perfect shield. A particular favorite of mine, it took me quite awhile to get my hands on it, too. Of course, I couldn't walk around looking like I was from ancient Greece nowadays so I had it reworked into my hoodie. Nothing can touch me in this. So, as much as your efforts were amusing, it is time for this to end, Konoe."

Naruto smirked and held out his hand as an orb of blue energy sprung out from it, "A little trick I picked up from my father…Rasengan!"

Naruto slammed the orb into the chest of the golem, causing it to be thrown back and broken to pieces as it collapsed against the wall in a pile of rubble. With the battle won, Naruto turned to begin his climb back up the stairs.

"Don't think this is through, Naruto!"

Naruto swirled around too late to dodge the second golem's attack, and was pinned to the wall by the giant stone sword it carried, stabbed through his waste just below where the Aegis began. Naruto stared down in shock at the sword as a metallic taste filled his mouth, "B-Bastard…"

"I'm sorry, Naruto, but it seems you forgot that I had two golems here, not one. That mistake has made all the difference here today and has cost you your life," Konoe's voice came from the golem, "Now please die."

It was then that Konoe learned a very important detail in that library that morning. Naruto was a thing he had greatly underestimated. The boy couldn't have been a simple dhampir—he realizes that now. That day, however, he had been shocked beyond all belief at Naruto's next move—the crazy bastard started to laugh. His laughter echoed through the room, blood escaping his mouth as he did.

"Konoe, you pitiful, senile bastard!" Naruto laughed, "Don't you understand? I cannot be killed!"

Naruto grabbed the stone blade with his hands, disregarding the blood that poured from them as the gripped the razor edges of the blade tightly and shattered it. Naruto, whose body should have been cut into two, walked toward the golem completely unharmed, "You didn't think Eva-chan was the only "Undead Mage", did you?"

"T-That's not possible! You aren't a full vampire—you should be able to regenerate like that! Evangeline can't even regenerate like that! How?"

"Eva-chan isn't in my league, to put it simply," Naruto's smirk became twisted, **"The same goes for you! The same even goes for the Thousand Master himself! No mage can kill me! The only one who can kill me is far, far away! You pitiful humans, mages or normal, are too arrogant! Don't underestimate me!"**

Naruto disappeared once more, reappearing midair in front of the golem's head and delivering a powerful kick that sent the stone warrior up to the top of the stair case again, where Naruto stood waiting. Before Konoe even had the chance to marvel at the boy's speed, Naruto had silently and gracefully leapt into the air towards the golem as it reached the peak of its journey upward. With a quick movement of his right hand, Naruto had decapitated the golem, with the golem's head in his hands, allowing the body to fall to the ground below as he landed on another section of the spiral staircase.

"…I don't like being double-crossed, Konoe," Naruto growled as he held the head at arm's length, forcing it to look him in the eyes, "However, I will allow it to pass just this once. I will expect triple the amount of money I was offered and a fresh supply of blood from you."

"The money I can agree to, but the blood I cannot get you."

"Hold a blood drive," Naruto didn't skip a beat in his answer, "Now, I will meet you on the surface soon. I'll give you my report and finish this mission and I will expect my pay immediately after words."

With that said, Naruto tossed the head over his shoulder and let it fall down the staircase as he walked to the elevator that had decided now was a good time to come back down. Smirking, Naruto made his way to the elevator, picking up the book where Konoe had made him drop it at the top of the stairs.

* * *

"T-Then that means…" Asuna mumbled in shock as she looked at her headmaster in amazement. The sun was just beginning to set at the Mahora Train Station, and Negi, the Baka Rangers, Nodoka, Haruna, and Konoka all looked on in shock at Konoe.

Konoe nodded, "2-A has the highest grades of their class."

After the group had finally finished the test, the scores were quickly marked as sent out as an assembly was held to show the yearly grades and, after a rather crushing moment, 2-A was shown to once again have the worst grades of their class. Negi, seeing this, ran ahead to the train station to leave, only to be confronted by the Baka Rangers, Nodoka, Haruna, and Konoka. What no one was expecting, though, was when Konoe showed up announcing that 2-A was really at the head of their class, with the early score being false.

"D-Does this mean I'm an official teacher?" Negi asked.

Konoe sighed, "T-That is not my decision…it's—"

"Mine."

The group looked up to see Naruto smirking at them with the book tucked under his shoulder.

"N-Naruto-san!"

"You're alive-aru!"

"W-Wait, what do you mean?" Konoka asked her grandfather, "I thought Negi only had to get us to pass!"

"I was contacted and paid to follow Negi throughout the library and grade him as I see fit," Naruto explained, "Depending on how he handled himself, I decide if he stays or goes."

"And your decision is?" Konoe questioned, the group leaning forward in suspense.

Naruto frowned, "Negi…when we got to the library, you were useless. You set off trap after trap, putting not only your students, who had to save you, in danger but also yourself. Not only that, but you broke every regulation and not only allowed, but _followed _your students out on a trip to a forbidden and dangerous section of the library past curfew to get a book to make them smarter for the test. Not only does that show a tremendous amount of doubt in your students, it is also considered cheating. When you and your students ended up trapped, you didn't bother to start to look for a way out—you told them to study, something that they easily could have done if they had stayed safely in their dorms that night. Does this sound like a good teacher to you?"

"Hey, lighten up! He may have made some mistakes, but everything worked out fine in the end!" Asuna shouted.

"She's right-aru!" Ku Fei added.

"We're all safe and we even scored higher on the exam than we ever did before!" Makie exclaimed.

"And what if it hadn't?" Naruto pushed, turning to Asuna, "You hurt your arm when you fell down into the Deep Library, did you not? You're lucky it was only a sprain—if it had been a much more serious wound, there would have been no one to help you and no medical supplies to aid you. Hell, you're all lucky any of you didn't die from the drop alone! That's ignoring the life-threatening traps that were set up along the way. A teacher should not lead students into that kind of place!"

"But—"

"No, he's right," Negi spoke, "I put us all in danger. I should have known better—I should have been more confident that we didn't need the book to pass. Because of me, we were trapped in the library for three days and nearly killed by a golem. I'm sorry, everyone. Naruto-san, I understand why your failing me."

"Stupid, son of a…" Naruto shook his head in frustration, "Let me finish before you all go making decisions yourselves! Negi, at the end of this trip, you managed to get everyone out safely, even risking your life to protect them at the elevator. You got all your students to the test and trusted in their abilities to pass…that's why I'm passing you."

Konoe smiled, "How very surprising of you, Naruto-san. Perhaps you aren't so bad?"

Naruto sent a good-natured smirk to Konoe, "Don't go putting words in my mouth, old man. You shouldn't read too much into this."

"N-Naruto-san!" Negi had tears leaking out of his eyes as he ran up and hugged the blond.

"H-Hey! Get off me!" Naruto shouted, "You're getting my clothes wet!"

The group of students, seeing this, laughed and ran to join in on the hug.

"Great job-aru!"

"We did it!"

"Let's toss them!"

That's where Naruto drew the line, "If I go up in the air, you're gonna regret it!"

"C'mon! This calls for a celebration-aru!" Ku Fei exclaimed.

"I'm sure everyone else will want to join in, too!" Konoka smiled.

Kaede turned to Naruto, "Want to come along-de gozaru?"

Naruto shook his head, "Not only do I have a store to open up, but I need to get some more tomato juice. Asuna, I will expect you to start your overtime tomorrow and I will be docking your pay for the three days you missed in the library."

"B-B-But I was trapped!"

"Either show up to work or you don't get paid," Naruto replied as he began to walk away, "Next time, look for an exit instead of studying!"

Naruto didn't turn to see Asuna's angry face or how the group laughed at her misfortune, he only kept walking until he turned the corner into the surprisingly empty Mahora Shopping District. Opening the book he had tucked away, Naruto smirked, "Poor, gullible Konoe…a little more paranoia would do you some good. Was that really all it took to get you to trust me? Pass that brat? I suppose he didn't know how to use the book completely, either…if he did, he would've been smart enough not to let me have it."

Stopping, Naruto's smirk deepened, _'You're lucky your slightly useful to me, Negi, otherwise I would have failed you on the spot. Luckily for you, I can see you making a decent distraction for me in the future…now, on to more pressing matters.'_

Holding his hand on the cover of the book as he made his way down the street, Naruto closed his eyes, "Book of Merkisedek, as your owner, I command you…reveal to me a detailed list of the Mahora Academy staff. Reveal to me a detail map of the entire academy. Reveal to me the location of the World Tree's roots. Reveal to me the area of the protective barrier of the school."

Naruto smirked as he flipped through the pages of the book, nearly grinning as he saw everything he had asked for appear on its pages. Closing the book and approaching his store, he entered.

"Sayo-chan, I'm back," Naruto called, walking behind the counter.

"Naruto-kun! Where were you? You were gone for three days!" Sayo chimed as she floated over to the blond, attempting to hug him only to fall straight through the boy.

"I had quite the adventure," Naruto smiled, "But it was all worth it for the pay off…"

* * *

Ako glanced around the dark streets of the Mahora Shopping District as she made her way down them, a heavy case of blood packets in her arms. She was surprised when just a few days ago, Konoe announced a blood drive would be taking place and, with the reward of sweets, many students signed up to donate. What shocked and confused her more, though, is how she was now being sent in place of Shizuna-sensei, who had to deal with an emergency patient to deliver the blood.

She shivered.

She never liked blood. There was something about it that always made her stomach churn at the sight of it, which was completely contradicting to her position as a nurse assistant.

'_Why is the blood being delivered to the Shopping District anyway?' _Ako thought as she continued down the road before finally coming to a stop, "…Isn't this Naruto-san's shop?"

Ako double-checked the address that was written on the case. Yes, it was supposed to be delivered to Naruto's shop, oddly enough. Shrugging, Ako quickly decided the faster the blood was away from her, the better, and she wasted no time in opening the door.

"Ako-chan, I've been expecting you. It's been awhile, hasn't it?"

Ako smiled as she looked to the small figure behind the counter, "It has! Ah, Naruto-san, I don't suppose you mind me asking what you're going to do with the blood?"

"Oh, that?" Naruto smiled, "I'm the one who went to Konoe to hold the drive, so I have to be the one to send the blood to the Red Cross. Just a little formality, I guess, but it's nothing too troubling. Just set it on the counter and it's a job well done!"

Ako giggled and did so, waving goodbye to Naruto as she headed for the door, only for a letter to slide in from the crack of the door. Ako smiled and picked it up, "Looks like you have a letter, Naruto-san!"

"I'm kinda busy right now—would you mind reading it to me?" Naruto called as he began to sort out books on the shelves.

Ako nodded, opening it up and reading it, "Dear Naruto, I have heard news of your recent exploits…I am coming to-what?"

Naruto turned at the girl's surprised yelp, "What is it?"

"I-It's a death threat!"

Naruto froze before walking over and snatching the letter from the girl's hands, looking it over before smiling, "Oh, this is nothing, Ako-chan. It's just a little inside joke that a pen-pal and I have running. We got into a little argument once and—well, it's a long story, but I assure you that everything has been taken care of."

"Y-You're sure? It sounds pretty serious…" Ako mumbled, looking to the letter with worried eyes.

Naruto laughed, waving the girl off, "Don't worry about it. Now, you should be heading home soon—it's awful late."

Ako nodded, "If you say it's nothing… I guess I'll be seeing you later then, Naruto-san. Have a nice night!"

"You too, Ako-chan," Naruto smiled as he waved. His smile dropped and his eyes darkened as soon as he saw the door close completely. Sayo flew down the stairs as Naruto looked over the letter.

"I heard what Ako-san said," Sayo spoke, looking over his shoulder to get a look at the letter, "Is everything okay?"

Naruto frowned, "…I need some sleep."

"N-Naruto!"

Naruto ignored the ghost's cries and walked up the stairs, practically gliding through the second floor and ignoring the dolls that cried out to him as he proceed to the third floor. Stopping momentarily to stare into the glow of the glass container on the third floor, Naruto proceeded to open a small crawlspace door and move through it, stepping into a large room.

On the wall of the left side of the room was a large map of the globe that took up the entire wall. It was riddle with notes and strings, possible leads and tracks of where the store had moved. On the right side of the room were four large bookcases crammed with tomes, scrolls, papers, and maps with a desk situated in between the bookcases. The desk was a mess, with numerous papers scattered across it, folders left open and reports that went unread continued to gather dust as the blond past them. He threw himself on the large, king-sized bed that sat at the end of the room, under a skylight and before a door.

He groaned into the sheets, before sitting up and pausing to look up to the night's sky through the skylight, _'…It was on a night like this, wasn't it? All those years ago…'_

His eyes narrowed as he moved off his bed, storming over to his desk and planting himself in his chair, _'A night like this…when he…'_

'_When he…' _a scowl developed on his lips, **"DAMN HIM!"**

In a fit of blind rage, Naruto shoved the papers on the desk to the floor kicking his chair back and scattering them over the room. As he calmed down, he looked to the crumpled letter in his hands that he, lost in his thoughts, had forgotten about. Setting his chair up right and propping his elbows on the desk, Naruto grabbed his head in frustration, _'…The only man who can kill me…I'm surprised you even remember me…'_

_Naruto,_

_I have heard about your recent exploits. I told you a long time ago that if you ever did anything that I couldn't forgive, I would kill you. I cannot allow you to exist any longer. I can see now that I should have killed you when I last held the chance. I will correct that mistake. Be on guard, you fool—I am coming for you._

—_Minato _

* * *

Sorry about the long wait, guys! If you'll believe it, I actually had this chapter mostly done for about a week or two, but my computer deleted all my files and I had to go on a wild goose-chase to get back what I lost, only to find that a simple configuring of my updates did the trick. Well, to make it up to you, 20 pages! To be honest, I'm not entirely pleased with the way this chapter turned out. But that's because the Library arc is so boring! I mean, how many important things happen in this arc? Negi becomes an official teacher and that's it! No one ever talks about it now in the manga! But at least it's out of the way and we can move onto the Eva arc, and with Naruto around, that one should be far more interesting! Of course we won't be moving right into the Eva arc…because next chapter we finally an explanation for Naruto! Why he's a dhampir, how he got the store, and why he and Minato are at ends! Anyway, enough of my ramblings, on to the poll!

Current Pairing: Naruto x Eva x Ako x ?

Poll:

Yuna: 4

Asuna: 16

Akira: 6

Madoka: 3

Sakurako: 2

Sayo: 18

Asakura: 14

Chizuru: 14

Ku Fei: 6

Chao: 6


	4. What You Need is Exactly What You Need

Hello folks! Back again with another new chapter! Well, let's begin!

**Fan of Fanfics21: **Yeah, Minato is Naruto's dad still.

**Orihime-San: **In regards to Naruto seeing the light…well, I already have the entire story planned out from beginning to end, and let's just say that before he even is close to the light, there are going to be some dark turns for our little shop keeper! In fact, in the end, I'm not even sure he does see the light, I guess it all depends on what your definition of "seeing the light" is!

**Penc0405**: Yeah, Minato is still Naruto's father. As for what Naruto is, that will be explained a little bit more in this chapter, not completely though. I guess I should put it as "You'll know what he is, but not what he's done" if that makes any sense.

**deathsilver: **I'm pretty sure less, but I also think that they feel the effects harder if they don't get their blood. Course, I'm not entirely certain, either.

**mk14ebr: **Well, some of Naruto's past will be explained this chapter. His motives won't be explained entirely though until nearly the very end. Trust me, though, no one will be able to guess what his plans are for the world tree.

**Ignisha: **Yeah, he's coming! Eventually, of course. He could be on the other side of the planet walking to Mahora right now for all I know! But he won't be making his appearance for a little while, but when he does, I'm gonna have so much fun with this!

**Vandenbz: **While I don't really want to give out any clues, rest assured that I do have plans for Naruto's involvement in both arcs!

**Nailuj: **I completely agree with you on Naruto—he's not completely evil, but he's sure as hell not good either. He is going to get a lot darker on the way down, though. And what do you mean I stop my stories? I just…take very long breaks! Okay, I stop them, but I'll come back to them all! Eventually… As for fighting in the tournament, I already have that entirely planned out, but as for limiters…well…let's just say, not so much.

**Orchamus: **Well, some of what the back story for Naruto and Minato will be revealed this chapter, while the other pieces of it will be saved for future reveals!

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or Negima!

* * *

"…_He's not coming home tonight, is he?" Naruto sighed, glancing at the empty seat at the table across from him. Once again, his father Minato had to work late. It was no surprise really, seeing as his dad was such an influential person in the magical community. Why shouldn't he be? After all…_

"_He's a hero…" Naruto mumbled in disgust. That's all he ever heard about—how his father was such a great man. If he was so great, why was it that he couldn't even make time for his son on his tenth birthday?_

_Naruto shook his head, picking up his plate and walking over to the sink, "I know his work's important, but it would be nice to have someone here…"_

_As far as Naruto knew, his only family was Minato. His mother, Kushina, was gone. He had seen no pictures of her, no stories of her—he was lucky just to know her name. Whenever he had asked his father about it, it would always be the same. Minato would freeze, stiffen, and change the subject. Sighing, he glanced over the small apartment he and his father lived in. The kitchen was small, with the bare necessities of a fridge, sink, and stove with just enough room left in to fit a table. It was ironic that such a hero as his father chose to live in this dump, but Minato had made a point about just being a normal family…and had failed at that goal so far._

"_Strongest vampire in history…" Naruto mumbled, placing his dish in the sink and returning to his seat at the table. Yes, his father Minato was a vampire, a powerful and highly respected one at that. No one dare opposed him—he was practically the voice of the people, which was why the government always consulted him before making an action. _

"_I'm back, Naruto!" Minato called as he walked into the kitchen, "I haven't missed too much, right?"_

_Naruto shook his head, "Absolutely nothing…"_

"_I know that tone…" Minato frowned, "What's wrong?"_

"…_Why won't my abilities develop?" Naruto frowned, looking to the floor, "Everyone always says how powerful your abilities as a vampire are, but mine haven't even shown up."_

_Minato grinned and ruffled Naruto's hair, "Hey, don't get so down! You're powers will come soon and then you'll be able to be a hero like your old man!"_

_Naruto gave a light smile, "I guess…"_

"_Hey, smile bigger!" Minato laughed, "If you don't cheer up, I won't teach you that new jutsu I told you about."_

"_That's right!" Naruto grinned, "You promised you'd teach me the Rasengan tomorrow!"_

_Minato nodded, "I did, so be sure to be ready first thing in the morning! It's gonna take a lot of focus, and you won't be able to do that if you're half-asleep!"_

"Naruto-kun, you need to get up!"

"…Huh?" Naruto sat up in his bed, rubbing the sleep from his eyes as he looked to Sayo, who was floating over his bed, "What time is it?"

"Time for you to wake up!"

Naruto groaned, sitting up and glaring at Konoe, "Great…just what I need first thing in the morning…look, whoever got murdered, it wasn't me."

"Ohoho…Not a very convincing argument, Naruto-san," Konoe laughed, "I'm just here to ask a few quick questions and then I will be on my way."

Naruto frowned, "What's to stop me from kicking you out now?"

"The fact that while I can't remove your store from Mahora, I can bill an awful hefty rent for the land," Konoe smiled.

"…Sadistic, old…" Naruto muttered, "Fine, get on with it."

"You see, lately we have been getting word of our students getting attacked on Sakura Lane by a vampire," Konoe spoke, "I don't suppose you would have anything to do with this?"

Naruto shrugged, smirking, "Well, I probably shouldn't answer that. I tend to be involved with a lot of things that I don't know I'm involved in."

"Naruto…" Konoe frowned.

"Alright, calm down," Naruto sighed, running a hand through his hair, "No, I didn't attack any of your students. If you want an alibi, talk to Sayo. She can vouch that I was here all night, blissfully asleep until I was awoken this morning by the intrusion of an annoying and unwelcome guest."

Konoe looked to the ghost, who nodded in return, before sighing, "I suppose it was Evangeline-san, then. I'll have to have a word with her in the near future…anyway, I've taken enough of your time."

"You have," Naruto said, pulling the covers of his bed over his head, "Now goodbye."

"Naruto! You still need to get up!" Sayo declared, trying in vain to grab the bed sheets.

Konoe left the room chuckling at the pair, while Naruto, finding that he wasn't getting back to sleep anytime soon, moved out of bed and over to his desk, "What time is it, Sayo-chan?"

"It's almost noon! Hurry up and get changed, Naruto-kun!" Sayo declared.

"In front of you, Sayo? I never knew you were so perverted," Naruto teased.

Sayo blushed, "I-I-I d-didn't mean that!"

Naruto laughed as the girl bolted out of the room, blushing a strong neon-red. Walking over to his desk, he picked up the Aegis that hung on the chair and slipped it on, moving to the door, down the two flights of stairs and to the front door, "I'm heading out for a little, Sayo-chan, so I need you to watch the store for me."

"Got it, Naruto-kun!" Sayo called, floating behind the counter.

Naruto opened the door…

"…WHAT THE HELL IS _**THAT**_?"

* * *

"Asuna-san, I think your phone is ringing," Negi commented as he looked to the girl. The entire class was outside, lazing under the shade of a sakura tree in a "Topping-the-School-Celebration" that Fuuka and Fumika had suggested. The sun was shining down in the clear, blue sky as a gentle breeze blew over the lush grass of the field they sat in, setting a picture-perfect scene.

"I know…" Asuna groaned, "It's Naruto. He's been calling me all day, telling me to get to work and that there was some big emergency going on."

"E-Emergency?"

The entire class looked to Ako as the girl stood rigid, a startled look on her face.

"Y-Yeah, but it's probably nothing, Izumi-san," Asuna replied, "Naruto always does things like this to get me to come into work."

"Y-You don't understand!" Ako exclaimed, "Last night, I went to Naruto-san's store to deliver something when he got a death threat!"

"A death threat-aru?"

"Someone's trying to kill Naruto?"

"He said it was only a joke, but…" Ako frowned, "There's no way that letter was a joke. It was too serious…"

"…You seem to care about Naruto-san an awful lot, Ako-chan," Misa looked to Ako with a knowing smirk, who blushed.

"I-It's not like that!" Ako yelled.

Sakurako smiled, "She's turning into Iincho!"

"I am not!"

While the entire class seemed to forget about the previous topic of discussion and moved on to tease Ako, Negi and Asuna exchanged worried looks. While Naruto was obviously resilient, they still had no idea what kind of past he had or what enemies he may have made, leaving them with no way to judge how serious the death threat was.

"Should we go and check on him?" Negi asked.

"B-But it's a party!" Asuna groaned, "This is just another trick of his to get me to come into work! I know it!"

"B-But what if Naruto-san is in danger?" Negi frowned.

"What if he's being attacked as we speak?" Asakura added, popping up next to the two.

"What if he's already dead?" Evangeline, who was once again roped into the party, chimed, a light smile coming onto her face as she envisioned herself killing the blond.

That seemed to get the entire class's attention. All noise suddenly died down, with everyone sharing a look before taking off in a stampede towards Naruto's store. Yes, it was quite the interesting sight for someone walking through Mahora Academy that day…after all, how many times a year do you see an entire female class and their ten-year-old sensei running down the streets screaming about murder?

* * *

The class poured into the small shop and, seeing no sign of Naruto, began to search the store for any signs of blood or a struggle. Their blood ran cold, however, when they heard Nodoka's scream. Running to where Nodoka stood by the counter, the class peered over it to find the body of Uzumaki Naruto, sprawled on the ground, unmoving.

"…I-Is…Is he…dead?" Ako mumbled.

"S-Someone should check…" Asakura commented, looking to Asuna. Shakily, Asuna moved out of the crowd of students and approached the body, kneeling down next him and shakily moving her hand towards his wrist to check his pulse.

Immediately, Naruto's eyes snapped open and he grabbed her wrist, **"Where were you?"**

"AAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHH!"

Naruto didn't bother to cover his ears as the entire class jumped ten feet in the air and screamed at the top of their lungs in surprise.

"Y-Your alive, Naruto-kun!" Ako let out a relieved sigh.

"Of course I am—why wouldn't I be?" Naruto frowned, "Now can one of you help me with Asuna? She fainted."

Sure enough, Asuna slumped to the floor seconds later, her eyes rolled to the back of her head and the look of surprise frozen on her face.

* * *

"I'm here already, aren't I? So stop complaining and tell me what the big emergency is!" Asuna grumbled, glaring down at her boss. The entire class leaned forward, waiting to see what had made the usual calm, level-headed blond so worried. After continuous slaps to the face, a bucket of water finally had woken Asuna and resulted in her nearly strangling Negi, who had thrown the water.

"The problem?" Naruto glared, stomping over to the door, throwing it open, and pointing across the street, "_That's _the problem!"

Outside, towering over the tiny shop they stood in, was a large building that was flooded with people. Almost immediately, the Cheerleader-Trio had hearts in their eyes as they rushed outside.

"A new store!" Misa exclaimed happily.

"Exactly!" Naruto growled, "They just opened today and they've been stealing my customers all day!"

"You don't have any customers!" Asuna shouted.

Naruto ignored the girl as he continued his rant, "I won't be driven out of business by some flashy convenience store! Asuna, get the maid outfit out! We're fighting back!"

"W-What? I'm not wearing that thing again!"

While this argument went on, the girls began to file out of the store, either to check out the new store or to go back to their own business. It wasn't long until the only people still in the store were Asuna, who was quickly set to work, and Evangeline, who was currently pestering Naruto about her fee.

"Why won't you just tell me?" Evangeline roared, banging her head down on the counter.

Naruto, who had his nose buried into a book, merely reached over and patted her head gently, "Well, it used to be because I never spoil surprises. Now it's just because the reactions you give me are far too amusing to let go."

"I'll kill you," Evangeline muttered angrily, her head still panted against the counter.

"Far be it from me to try to stop you," Naruto folded the corner of the page he was on, setting the book down on the counter and lifting her head to look her in the eye, "Now that that conversation is out of the way, I wanted to ask you a quick question."

"And that would be?" Evangeline scowled, slapping his hands away from her.

"Why, pray tell, did Konoe accuse me of attacking his students this morning?" Naruto frowned, "Normally, I would say you are simply annoying, but if you are going to get me blamed for your crimes, I must say our relationship will be hitting a rocky path soon."

"What relationship? I would be just fine with leaving you alone if you'd tell me what you took from me!" Evangeline growled, "As for your question, why should I answer yours if you won't answer mine?"

"Maybe you should. Maybe you shouldn't—I don't make decisions for you, Eva-chan," Naruto sighed, "So, how is my little Zero-chan? Have you been treating her right?"

"Why do you care?"

"Believe it or not, my conversations with Zero-chan we're always something I used to look forward to. We bonded and she quickly became my little girl," Naruto smiled, "Which would make you the mother."

Evangeline snorted, "You? Bond with someone? Don't make me laugh."

"My, you don't trust me, Eva-chan? I'm hurt," Naruto feigned the look of a kicked puppy before his usual smile returned, "Actually, it's probably wiser that you don't…well, Eva-chan, you're smarter than I thought! But then, I guess you'd have to be…"

"…I hate you."

"I believe that was implied when you said you'd kill me," Naruto's smile didn't falter, "So, will you leave willingly or should I recommend the leash once more to Chacha-chan?"

"Bite me."

"Such language!" Naruto's smile widened as he stepped around the counter, lifting the unmoving body of the girl over his shoulder, "I have to go return a lost pet, Asuna-chan. The keys are by the cash-register, so be sure to lock up when you're done!"

"…"

"Asuna-chan?" Naruto turned to see the girl leaning against a bookshelf, sleeping away, "What a lazy employee I have…sleeping on the job? That will come out of your pay…well, looks like I have two pets to bring back home now."

* * *

"_Are you ready to call it a day?"_

_Naruto glared up at the tree—he was sure it was mocking him, 'Is this really…the extent of my power?'_

_Looking to the sky, he grimaced—the sun was setting. He had been with his father from sun up to sun down for the past two days, trying in vain to master the Rasengan. Looking to the tree his father had managed to blow to splinters earlier, he glared back at his own, which was riddled with swirls carved into the bark by his failed attempts._

"_No! I'm not leaving until I get it right!" Naruto declared, carefully forming the chakra in his hand once more. It wasn't until a shaky and unstable blue orb rested on his palm that he rushed forward, slamming it into the tree._

_Minato let out a sigh as he saw his son fail the technique again. Naruto slumped against the tree, sweat pouring down his face as his eyes began to close. With the last bit of energy he had, he turned in the direction of his father to watch him walk towards him before his eyes shut completely._

'_Why…can't I be like you…?'_

* * *

"What took so long, Naruto-kun?" Sayo smiled as Naruto walked back into the shop. It had been two hours when the small boy had left the shop, Asuna and Evangeline over both his shoulders. Sayo frowned slightly when she noticed Naruto's normally bright eyes were dim.

"Just reminiscing, Sayo-chan," Naruto waved the ghost off, before pausing at the foot of the steps, "…Hey, Sayo-chan, can I ask you a question?"

Sayo's head perked up at this, "What is it, Naruto-kun?"

"If a mother dies during childbirth, is the child a murderer?"

"I don't think so. Why would you ask that, Naruto-kun?" Sayo frowned, concern evident in her eyes as the boy continued up the stairs.

"I was just wondering your opinion," Naruto called lazily, "Good night, Sayo-chan."

"…Night, Naruto-kun," Sayo sighed as the blond finally disappeared up the stairs.

* * *

"…_So you're just leaving, is that it?"_

"…_I didn't expect you to find me so quickly."_

_Naruto glared at his father, holding up the crumbled paper in his hands, "Mind telling me what this damn thing is about?"_

"_I told you in that note, right? I'm leaving," Minato sighed, turning to face his son. _

"_You're just abandoning me here?" Naruto growled. The normal sounds of the forest at night died out as the two blonds scanned each other's faces, looking for any hint of emotion. It only served to anger Naruto even more when he found none on the older man's face._

"…_By sunrise, the public will think I'm dead. My will has been written and everything is prepared now," Minato explained, "I don't have time to waste here anymore."_

"…_You think that makes any difference to me?" Naruto shouted, "Why are you running away?"_

"…_It's going to be better for everyone if I'm not around anymore," Minato sighed, "Trust me on this, Naruto. I know what I—"_

"_No! You don't know what you're doing!" Naruto roared, tears brimming in his eyes, "You…the council…everyone thinks they're right! Now you're going to just leave me behind like this? How can that be right? How can it be right that I'm the only thing you want to ignore?"_

"_This is right, Naruto," Minato frowned, "I've known this day was going to come for a while now…ever since…ever since she—"_

"_Ever since mom died?" Naruto frowned, "How did she die? You've never told me anything but her name!"_

"…_Your mother wasn't a vampire, she was human," Minato sighed, "A child of a vampire…they take a lot more energy to carry. More energy than a human has. When the time came for Kushina to give birth, she just didn't…she didn't have the strength to pull through the ordeal. She and I both knew what would happen, but—"_

"…_It's my fault, isn't it?"_

"…"

"_Damn it…" Naruto growled, "Is that why you ignore me? Because it's my fault she's gone?"_

"…_Naruto…" Minato frowned, "I'm leaving tonight. It's too late to change that."_

"…_I'm right, aren't I?" Naruto spoke, an uneasy calmness in his voice, "You think you can do whatever you want…you think you can just deny I'm even here…I'm sick of it. Go ahead and try to run away! I'll be the one to drag you back!"_

_Minato's frown deepened as he saw Naruto take the stance he taught him in training before falling into his own, "Alright, Naruto…if you really want to stop me, show me. Show me the strength of your resolve!"_

"Naruto-kun, Konoe-sama is here!" Sayo chimed, rousing the boy from his sleep. Naruto sat up and scratched his head, his tired eyes glancing across his room to the annoyingly happy face of Konoemon Konoe. Seeing the familiar smile on his face, Naruto immediately sat back down in his bed and pulled the covers over his head.

"Déjà vu is not a good feeling to wake up to, Konoe," Naruto growled out, "Whatever it is, you don't have enough money to make me agree to it."

"What if I paid you triple what I paid you last time, with a bonus upon completing the mission?" Konoe smiled.

Naruto groaned as he sat up, "What is it this time?"

"I believe I brought to your attention yesterday that Evangeline-san was attacking students," Konoe spoke, "Previously, Evangeline-san was the guardian of this school, however, given recent events, I find it safe to say that she will not be protecting the school for a period of time now. As such, we are currently left without a guardian."

"So you want me to fill the role until this whole business with Eva-chan's blown over, huh?" Naruto smirked, "You do realize that this means I'll have to be granted access to enter the academy while students are there?"

"An…unfortunate circumstance, but we really have no way around it until Evangeline returns to her duties," Konoe sighed, "You've worked with us in the past and are the only other magical being with so much free time. Naturally, if there was another option, we'd have taken it, but—"

"I'll do it."

"We don't have a choice and—did you just say you'd do it?" Konoe stared at Naruto incredulously before his eyes narrowed in suspicion, "And you'll agree to your payment?"

"This, my dear Konoe, is simply an opportunity that is much too fun to pass up," Naruto smiled.

* * *

"Any reason why you're on the roof instead of in class?"

Evangeline scowled as Naruto came into her vision, "If you must know, it's because I'm sure that idiot boy would have a conniption if he saw me today."

"I see…there's something about that boy that feels familiar, but I can't put my finger on it…" Naruto smiled, sitting down next to Evangeline, much to her annoyance. She had skipped class with the purpose of resting up—last night's fight with Negi had cost her a lot of the little magical energy she had left. Of course, her peace was ruined (as it usually was nowadays), by the blond enigma that was Naruto.

"Who said you could join me?" Evangeline snapped.

"I can go anywhere I want, Eva-chan, now that I'm the school's new guardian," Naruto grinned, "I could even sit right next to you in class if I wanted."

"What? Since when were you the guardian?" Evangeline bolted up, glaring at Naruto.

"Since Konoe offered me the position this morning. He's afraid that you won't be a good little girl now that you've been attacking students," Naruto said evenly, "…I've been thinking, Eva-chan. You still want to know what I took from you?"

"Y-You'll tell me?" Evangeline turned to face the blond, surprise and shock evident on her face.

Naruto smiled and nodded, motioning with his finger for Evangeline to lean in closer. The girl, too lost in her thoughts to consider doing anything else, did so as Naruto brought his mouth to her ear to whisper.

"It was…" Naruto whispered, "Your first kiss."

The effect was instantaneous. Evangeline's face turned such a lovely shade of tomato red as she jumped back about two feet, her body stiff and her words coming out in a jumbled mess.

"W-What?" Evangeline stuttered, looking to the blond with wide eyes.

"Of course, I'm only joking, Eva-chan. Still, your reaction was quite funny," Naruto laughed, "No, I'm not going to tell you, though."

"…I hate you."

"I know," Naruto smiled, looking to the sky, "…It seems like we have a guest."

Evangeline sighed, "Something did pass through the barrier…there's no helping it. I'll go investigate."

"What's this? Still doing your job?"

"The sooner I get back to it, the sooner you can't bother me in school."

Naruto's smile never left, even as the girl disappeared down the stairs. Standing up and dusting off his clothes, Naruto headed for the door himself, his smile growing ever so wider with each step he took as he saw Kaede and Akira kidnap Negi and run towards the baths.

'_Seems like there's something interesting going on in the baths…' _Naruto mused, _'I think I'll go have a little fun.'_

* * *

"_Are you done yet?"_

"_S…Shut up…"_

_Naruto struggled to glare up at his father. It wasn't hard to see who was clearly winning their fight. While Naruto's body was riddled scrapes, cuts, bruises, and burns, Minato was completely untouched. Wiping the dirt and sweat from his brow with a shaky hand, Naruto spat out a glob of blood. _

'_This…can't be how it ends…' Naruto thought as he surveyed the land around him. What once was a life-filled forest was turned into a warzone. The trees that weren't on fire were uprooted and overturned, fallen in the multitude of craters and puddles. Naruto realized that he would not win the second he saw the first of the now many infamous three-pronged kunai that littered the ground, but to be unable to even touch his father…_

"_I…won't accept this…I won't just lie down and be forgotten!" Naruto growled, lurching forward slightly as he straightened himself. Minato remained silent, his cool eyes watching observantly as his son held out his left hand, a familiar blue, swirling orb of energy forming there, 'So…he finally has it down.'_

"…_I think it's obvious of what the outcome of this match will be, Naruto. Go home," Minato sighed._

_"Don't pretend like you care anymore," Naruto's glare intensified as he began to stumble forward, his adrenalin pushing his tired legs in a charge. Minato gave him one last unreadable look before quickly forming his own Rasengan and running to meet Naruto. Neither opponent bothered to shout out the technique's name as they clashed. _

_Naruto struggled to hold his technique as he was slowly pushed back. His breath hitched as he looked over the clashing jutsu and onto his father's face. Minato refused to meet his stare, focusing instead on the clashing blue swirls…_

_Naruto always knew his father was strong—he just never knew the extent of that word. Strength. How much did it take for someone to be strong? Was he strong or was he weak? None of that mattered now. It didn't matter if he was strong or not, he just needed to be stronger—stronger than the man across from him. He knew immediately knew that currently, he wasn't the second he saw him disappear. He knew where the man was. Behind Naruto, standing next to his special kunai on the ground, was Minato, a second Rasengan swirling about in his hand._

_Naruto knew exactly what hit him as he felt a burning sensation hit his back and was propelled forward onto the dirt until the jutsu finally died down, leaving him in a burnt and crumpled heap a few feet away from Minato. Darkness began to creep into the corners of Naruto's eyes as he watched Minato walked past him, heading out onto the road leading away from the village._

'_I see it…I always knew it was there…but I could never tell how big it was…but now I can finally see it clearly…the gap in our power…' Naruto cursed under his breath as the world around him began to grow darker. Looking quickly to his left and ignoring the pained wails of his body calling for him to stop, he plucked another of Minato's special kunai from the ground and, with the last bit of chakra he could summon, tossed the kunai at his father. Minato heard the faint whistle of the kunai and jumped to dodge it…only for the third prong on it to cut the edge of his coat._

'…_Heh, got him…' Naruto thought as he closed his eyes, 'I…will fill that gap.'_

* * *

Naruto…was in paradise. There was no better word to describe it. He sat there, kicking his feet in the water, merely observing as the majority of 3-A, in their bikinis (Naruto was surprised by the boldness of certain students, which was questionable but not problematic in his book), trying to cheer Negi up.

'_Let's see…Kaede-chan is definitely a ten...Not bad, Sakurako-chan, but polka-dots are a little cliché, still, I'd say a nine…' _Naruto smiled lightly to himself, _'Going for the cuteness factor, eh, Makie-chan? A nine.'_

"Naruto-san?"

"Ah, hello, Setsuna-chan? How are you?" Naruto turned to face one of the few girls that wasn't currently fawning over Negi, "I'm slightly surprised to see you here—you didn't seem like the type to join in on this sort of thing…you even brought your sword, I see…"

Setsuna coughed, looking slightly embarrassed, "It's hard to avoid being dragged into these situations when you're a part of this class. What are you doing here, Naruto-san?"

"Well, I was having a calm and relaxing walk down one of the halls after speaking to a good friend of mine when I noticed Negi-san was kidnapped," Naruto's smile grew a little, "Naturally, I came to investigate. I must say, the trip was certainly worth my time."

"Kya! There's a mouse!"

"It's an ermine!"

"There's a rat!"

Naruto looked up to see the bathing suits fall off the students and into the water as they scrambled around in a panic mess. Naruto smiled deeper at the sight and as the top of one bathing suit, which he identified as Makie's, floated over past Setsuna and him.

'_That girl has a lot of bad luck, doesn't she?' _Naruto mused, turning to Setsuna, "Has anyone ever mentioned how your class seems to have a special talent in finding just about every excuse to take their clothes off?"

Setsuna sighed, nodding, "Y-Yes, I've noticed that, too…"

"Hm? Ah, it would seem Asuna-san is here! I've been meaning to speak with her today," Naruto stood up and began to walk over in the direction of the commotion, "We'll have to speak again sometime, Setsuna-chan."

Setsuna watched the boy go with a weak wave, _'…What just happened?'_

Naruto observed the scene as he silently stepped over to Asuna. The rodent that had been untying bikinis had leapt out at Asuna who, with the help of her amazing reflexes, swatted it away. Seconds afterwards, the buttons of her top popped of, revealing her bra. Asuna marveled at the rodent's speed as it scampered off before turning to face the now naked 3-A who surrounded Negi.

"W-What the Hell are you all doing here naked with Negi?"

"It's a misunderstanding, aru!"

"We're having a party to cheer him up!"

Naruto tapped Asuna on the shoulder to drawl her attention, "Ah, Asuna-chan, I wanted to tell you that the shop will be closed tomorrow, so don't bother coming into work."

"Naruto?" Asuna shouted, "What are you doing here, why is the store closed tomorrow, and where the Hell do you think you're looking at?"

"Well, to answer your questions in order, Asuna-chan," Naruto hadn't taken his eyes of her chest as he answered, "I am here to tell you the store is closed, we're closed because of a personal holiday that will be tomorrow, and I am currently staring at your breasts…also, I must add that light blue doesn't suit you, Asuna-chan. I'd suggest basic black or white."

Asuna didn't hesitate to deliver her infamous and deadly kick to her boss, which sent him flying out the doors of the baths, which hung open for a second before closing. Naruto quickly got himself off the hallway floor, brushing of the blow as well as imaginary dust on his clothes, "I see…so that's "Baka Power". Interesting."

* * *

"_Dad!" Naruto bolted up right, pushing the covers of the bed he lay in up. Giving the room a quick once-over, Naruto fell back down against his pillow. If the bleach white walls and tile floor were any indication, he was in the hospital. How long had he been out? _

'…_So that bastard's gone…' Naruto glared at the ceiling, "Good riddance…"_

"_I see you're awake."_

_Naruto didn't move as the door slid open, nor did he respond to Sarutobi Hiruzen as he called out to him. The old man walked over to Naruto's bed and took a nearby seat, sighing. Sarutobi looked at Naruto. He had never seen the boy so…lifeless. His eyes, which were usually brimming with light, were now dark and cold. The smile that once adorned his face was gone, replaced by the jagging frown he now wore. The numerous scars and bruises covered by the bandages he wore seemed out of place on the energetic boy he knew._

"…_How long have I been here?" Naruto droned out._

"_A week today," Sarutobi answered, "When we found you, you were out cold. You nearly died from chakra exhaustion alone, let alone the inner bleeding. What happened?"_

"_I don't remember. Where's my dad?" Naruto didn't blink as he lied through his teeth, 'As if either of us knows…'_

"…_You're father, he…" Sarutobi sighed sadly, "He was found dead just a few feet away from you. We believe that the same enemy who attacked you killed him, but we're still investigating the case."_

_"…I see," Naruto mumbled. He should have acted shocked, he should have pretended to tear up, anything…but he didn't. Naruto couldn't find it in him to care anymore._

"_The funeral was held two days ago," Sarutobi explained, "There's still the matter of his will, however. He didn't leave much, but he did leave you something."_

"_What is it?" Naruto muttered._

"…_Well, I think it best if you read the note he left you," Sarutobi reached into his robes and pulled out a letter bearing the Yondaime's seal._

_Naruto took the letter, opening it as his eyes quickly darted across the paper._

_Naruto observed the small building before he opened it. It was plain, for lack of a better word. The outside of it was mostly brick; the only thing that stood out was the simple door with an empty window on it and a brass doorknob. As Naruto opened the door, he was immediately hit with a rush of warm air. His eyes strained to see into the barely lit room which, as much as he hated to admit it, had a cozy feeling._

_It was almost completely empty, but that's what he expected. The only thing I the room was a counter and a staircase behind it. Moving past the counter and walking up the stairs, Naruto found another empty room with another staircase at the end of it. Seeing no point in standing in another empty room, Naruto proceeded to the next set of stairs. Naruto now found himself in a room with two things in it—a large glass container sat in the middle of the floor, empty, and a small crawlspace door sat behind it._

_Naruto approached the container, noting that it stood on an intricate magical circle, and ran his hand over the dusty glass. Checking once to make sure there was nothing inside, Naruto moved past it and into the crawlspace door, where he found himself in another empty room, a skylight on the ceiling and another door past it._

'_Looks like this place does have windows…two of them,' Naruto frowned as he opened what he hoped to be the last door. He found himself on a small balcony covered by a sheet of glass. In front of him stood a steering wheel, much like one you'd on an old boat. Sighing as he propped himself up on the steering wheel, Naruto reached into his pockets and fished out the letter from his da—Minato._

_Dear Naruto,_

_I'm sorry that I wasn't strong enough to protect you. If you're reading this, then that means that I've failed to stop the enemy I feel will be coming soon. Please do not be sad—it was just meant to be. I have entrusted to you a magical item I picked up on one of my travels. It is very rare—the only one of its type I've ever seen—and it can take you anywhere you want or need to go. I have a feeling that it will be exactly what you need._

—_Minato _

'_Exactly what I need, huh?' Naruto thought, looking out the glass to the cloudy sky as the rain began to pelt the building, 'Alright…let's see if you were telling the truth, bastard. If this thing can take me anywhere…if it really is exactly what I need…then I'm not going to stay in this village. I want to see the world!'_

* * *

Naruto sighed as he looked to the moon through the skylight over his bed. Standing up and walking to the large map in his room, he ran his hand over it with a blank look on his face, _'That's right…I wanted to see the world…'_

Shrugging and walking back over to his bed, Naruto plopped himself down and pulled the covers over his head, _'If I remember correctly…that's when it all went to Hell.'_

* * *

And that's a wrap! By the way, I wasn't joking during the bath scene when Naruto commented how Setsuna had her sword—it's actually in the manga! Go to chapter 18 in volume 3 and go to page 12, in the third box with the picture of everyone crowding around Negi, next to Ku Fei, Setsuna actually has her sword with her! Don't you think that's a little…much? Anyway, onto the poll!

Current Pairing: Naruto x Eva x Ako x ?

Poll: (It closes after chapter 5, so be sure to vote!)

Yuna: 4

Asuna: 23

Akira: 7

Madoka: 3

Sakurako: 2

Sayo: 29

Asakura: 20

Chizuru: 19

Ku Fei: 9

Chachamaru: 3

Chao: 7


	5. What You Need is some Medicine!

Okay people! Back from the pits of Hell known as the beach and my sister's birthday to give you another new chapter! Sorry about the wait, but I've been busy with the aforementioned above!

**Vandenbz: **I'm glad you liked the backstory! I was nervous about how that one was going to go over, actually.

**Fan of Fanfics21: **Sorry, but it will be explained later why Naruto would not get along with Colonel Sanders.

**Orchamus: **I'm trying to stay away from pairings that have already been done a lot. Naruto x Setsuna is one I consider to fall into that category. Plus, even if I added it, I don't think it'd get enough votes to win in the next chapter.

**mk14ebr: **I wouldn't know about mobile , my sister washed my phone. Anyway, have fun plotting new ways to kill me!

**Junky: **Differences…okay, let me think for a second…well, for starters, Naruto isn't weak to garlic or scallions like Evangeline is. On the other hand, Naruto can't go without blood for nearly as long as Evangeline. Normally, Evangeline's regeneration would be far superior to Naruto, who shouldn't have any. Sunlight doesn't really affect either of them; neither do crosses for that matter. Also, while Evangeline's immortal, Naruto can still die. That's all I can really think of at the moment.

**Ignisha: **For the story plot-wise, I needed a way for Naruto and Minato to be able to survive for a long time, and vampirism fit pretty well. Besides, I guarantee you haven't seen it in a Naruto x Negima cross yet!

**Darkhero21: **Would you believe me if I said I actually have never read xxxHolic? Seriously, I had absolutely no idea what it was even about until I started getting reviews asking me if xxxHolic had inspired this story, and even now, I still haven't read it. My inspiration for Naruto was actually a mixture of The Millennium Earl (who inspired Naruto's character) from and the castle (which inspired the store) from Howl's Moving Castle. Weird, huh?

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or Negima…but honestly, does anyone even read this?

* * *

"…_Subject number sixteen. Exactly one hour ago, subject was given water that catalyst "Pandora" had soaked in for a period of two days. I will administer the test now…" Naruto mumbled to himself as he scribbled away in a small book, occasionally dipping his quill in a nearby inkwell. He ignored the few drips that stained his dirty robes as he quickly set down the book and turned to a table behind him._

_The small and crowded room he was in was even stuffier than his store. Overlooking him were bookshelves crammed full, lining nearly every wall, save for a table with numerous glass containers and papers thrown about it in a haphazard fashion. The only light in the room came from a long wax candle that was burning fiercely, illuminating the cold stone walls and floors and the emotionless Naruto as he approached the table. Quickly reaching into a small, glass box that sat on it, he retracted his hand after grabbing a squirming and unwilling, dark rat._

_Naruto's face remained expressionless even as it bit into his hand and drew blood. Silently and swiftly, his hand enclosed around the struggling rodent's head and, with a quick twist and tug, Naruto set the unmoving body of the rat down on the table to observe it. After a few moments of complete silence, Naruto sighed and reached for his quill and book, "Subject number sixteen has failed to revive itself. This experiment was also a failure—immortality has not been reached…preparation for subject seventeen will begin in one hour."_

_As he continued to write down his notes, Naruto became sidetracked with his own thoughts. Pausing just as his quill was about to hit the paper once more, Naruto's brow furrowed, 'How long have I been out here, anyway? I've lost track of time…'_

"_Naruto! Come in here—quickly!"_

_Sighing once more, Naruto set his book and quill down again as he headed for the wooden door on the left wall, "I'm coming, doctor."_

_(End flashback)_

"Sayo-chaaaaan, I'm bored!" Naruto whined as he sat behind the counter of his store, holding his head in one hand and his canteen in the other. Sayo sighed as she floated over to Naruto, holding her hands on her hips. Sayo had watched Naruto wake up, set a sign on the door that read "We're closed. Go the Hell away" before he grabbed his canteen and sat at the counter, literally doing nothing.

"Why don't you go visit Asuna-san?"

"She said she was in the woods all night while looking for Negi, so she's sleeping all day after school—which is coming out of her pay—besides, it's not like we're actually friends or anything," Naruto sighed.

"You could take a walk."

"I've already seen everything there is to see around this dump."

Sayo ignored the remark about her long-time home and held her head slightly titled as she thought of a way to entertain her friend, "Ano…isn't Evangeline-san usually here by now? Why don't you go see her?"

"Eva-chan? She hates me," Naruto snorted, "…Still, she's normally here pestering me by now…well, what do I have to lose?"

Standing up, Naruto hung his canteen at his hip, waved good-bye to Sayo, headed out the door, being sure to flip off the store directly across from him as he did, and walking in the direction he'd carried Evangeline so many times before.

* * *

_'I thought she would be living in a graveyard or something…' _Negi thought as his eyes landed upon the small cabin that Evangeline lived in. He had gone to school that morning prepared and confident with a letter of challenge for Evangeline…only to find out that the girl was absent with the flu. Not one to give up easily, the child teacher had quickly headed for the vampire's house, determined to deliver his message while he still had the courage to do so.

The cabin itself looked to be straight out of a fairytale. A small, wooden mailbox sat by a neatly trimmed row of bushes just a few feet away from the two-story house. To the side of the house stood a small well that was hidden comfortably under the shade of a pine tree. A small set of steps led up to the front porch, where the door stood, daring Negi to enter.

"I didn't expect her house to be as wonderful as this…" Negi mumbled.

"What? Did you expect her to live in a graveyard?"

Negi turned to see a familiar mop of blond hair, "Naruto-san!"

Naruto nodded his greeting, "So, why are you here, Negi?"

"Evangeline-san wasn't in class today, so I came to deliver a letter," Negi explained, "Why are you here, Naruto-san?"

"…That's really something you should ask Konoe about…but, you're getting to be that age, so it's only natural, I guess…" Naruto mumbled, his brows furrowing as he seemed to try to plan out his next words, "Well, you see Negi, when a mommy and daddy love each other very much, they—"

"Naruto-san? Negi-sensei?"

Negi and Naruto turned to find Chachamaru, who stood in the doorway with no idea that she had just saved her teacher's innocence.

"Chachamaru-san! I…um, I'm sorry about the other day…" Negi bowed apologetically.

"As am I…" Chachamaru nodded, bowing as well while making sure not to drop the tea tray she was carrying.

"And just what happened yesterday?" Naruto smiled, "You're a thousand years too early to think about courting one of my daughters, Negi."

"I-It's not like that!" Negi blushed before shooting a confused look to the blond, "…Daughters?"

"Naruto-san refers to everyone of the 'Chacha' line of gynoids as his daughters, due to his creation of the first, Chachazero," Chachamaru explained, "But may I ask why you are both here?"

"I was bored, so I thought I'd annoy Eva-chan," Naruto replied.

"Evangeline-san wasn't in class today and I have a letter for her…" Negi answered, casting a glance to the paper in his hands.

"Master isn't feeling very well today, so—"

"I'm fine! Let them in, Chachamaru!"

Chachamaru sighed as she heard her Master's voice call from within the cabin, "Very well, Master…"

Standing aside so that the two boys could enter the building, Chachamaru gave a quick bow as they did before entering as well and shutting the door behind them. Negi blinked in surprise at the interior of the house—a complete opposite of what he was expecting. Where he had expected blood stains to sit on the carpet, sat a soft carpet over the oak floor. Light flitted in from the windows, landing upon a table and couch set up in the middle of the room, both being covered in only a few of the many puppets and stuffed animals that were in the room. A small brick fireplace sat unlit in the corner of the room, with more puppets lining its mantle, hanging directly under a small chandelier. Finally, in the opposite corner of the room, stood a set of stairs where Evangeline stood with a slight blush on her face.

"What are you two doing here?" Evangeline glared.

"Well, I came to annoy you," Naruto repeated himself.

"Go home!" Evangeline growled, turning to Negi, "And you?"

Negi shook slightly as he nervously thrust the letter out towards the vampire, "I-I-I came to deliver this—a letter of challenge! I want to duel you one more time—a-also, please stop ditching class! You won't be able to graduate at this rate!"

"I can't graduate either way," Evangeline huffed, before raising her hand and filling it with magical energy, "Whatever. You want to finish it now, huh? I don't mind beating you one more time…"

"Just a tip, Eva-chan—if you want to intimidate someone, I would suggest wearing pajamas with less frills," Naruto called out, though Evangeline either ignored his comment or didn't hear—though, the fact that her blush increased slightly led Naruto to believe it was the former.

"If I win, you have to start attending class from now on!" Negi declared, grabbing his staff.

"Master, you shouldn't fight while you're sick…" Chachamaru warned, sending a pleading look up to Evangeline.

"Let them go, Chacha-chan," Naruto laughed, walking over to the stair and holding out his arms, much to the robot's confusion, "Evangeline's sick, right? Well, if my prediction is right…three…two…one…and…"

Evangeline suddenly halted her movements as her blushed increased tenfold, losing her footing and tumbling down right into Naruto's awaiting arms. Without sparing the two surprised onlookers a single glance, Naruto made his way upstairs and into Evangeline's bedroom, with Negi and Chachamaru following him closely. Negi took a moment to quickly observe his current enemy's room.

The room was surprisingly normal (if one ignored the chashitsu that stood in the corner) and empty, once again the opposite of what Negi was expecting. Spread across the oak flooring in the center of the room was a small carpet, on top of which stood Evangeline's queen-size bed, where the girl was currently resting. Before the bed lay a short row of shelves, pushed flat up against the wall and neatly filled with books. The only light in the room came from the panel of windows that lined the right of the room, allowing the warm rays of the sun to pour over the floor, bed, and the dresser that say under the window. Negi, lost in his observations and the constant ticking of a clock that hung on the wall, was brought back to reality as Naruto turned to face him.

"It's just a fever. Free feel to continue to try and fight, but I don't think you'll get much of a challenge," Naruto nodded.

"Master has caught the flu and has allergies to pollen. I was on my way to meet a trusted official at a nearby hospital to acquire medicine, but I'm afraid that I cannot leave Master in such a state," Chachamaru explained, kneeling next to the bedside and turning to face her sensei, "Negi-sensei, can I trust you to take care of Master?"

"M-Me?" Negi cried out in surprise and shock, looking towards the robot with disbelieving eyes.

"Don't worry about it, Chacha-chan! With both me and Negi here, nothing's gonna happen to Eva-chan!" Naruto grinned.

"…Negi-sensei, please make sure that Naruto-san does not aggravate Master while I'm gone," Chachamaru sighed, "Her condition would only get worse."

"You wound me, Chacha-chan!" Naruto placed a hand over his chest, feigning the look of a kicked puppy as the girl walked out the door. Negi sat down, contently observing Evangeline as Naruto began to casually glance over the titles that lined the shelves.

"Hn…Thirsty…" Evangeline mumbled suddenly, causing Negi to jump.

"What a needy little kid… Negi, get me a cup and a knife," Naruto sighed, walking over to the bed. Negi cast an unsure look towards Naruto, clearing showing his confusion, but went off to fetch the items anyway.

"H-Hot…" Evangeline muttered, rolling on her side to face away from the sun.

"Why, thank you very much! But I hardly think this is the time to say such things…" Naruto chuckled as he closed the curtains, darkening the room, "But, since it's your bedroom, I suppose it is the place…"

"I got them!" Negi called as he came back into the room, handing the cup and knife carefully over to the blond.

"Good, now go wait in the hall. You'll be happy that you did," Naruto replied, ignoring the confused and even suspicious stare Negi shot him as he made his way out the door. Stopping once to make sure Negi hadn't poked his head back in the room, Naruto quickly turned and pressed the blade roughly against his wrist. Careful not to spill the liquid onto the floor, Naruto allowed the results of his wound to pour into the cup before bringing it to Evangeline, tilting her head back and gently pressing the rim to her lips. Once emptied, Naruto set the cup and knife on the shelf behind him before finally turning back to the door, "C'mon in, Negi."

Negi walked in the room, the curious and confused look still spread out on his face as it had been when he left. Taking his place at the bedside once more, Negi took on the habit of glancing over at Naruto, who sat on the floor at the foot of the bed, well aware of that fact, "If there's something you need to say, say it."

Negi let out a sheepish gasp at being caught, blushing in embarrassment and rubbing the back of his head, "A-Asuna-san told me that there was something dangerous about you…"

"Did she now? And what did she tell you exactly?"

"T-That I shouldn't trust you…"

'_That's all? Well, I guess she doesn't know much else…' _Naruto sighed, adopting a brighter and more cheerful smile than before, "Negi, you treat me like I'm some sort of super villain straight out of a comic…if I was so evil, would I have let you pass your exam? How about helping you and your students out of the library? Would I have done that if I was evil?"

"I-I guess not…but even Takamichi and Konoe-sama seem wary of you…" Negi mumbled, his eyes portraying the conflict and debate folding out in his mind, slowly weighing each argument, a tidbit that Naruto's sharp and calculated eyes hidden behind his happy ones quickly caught.

"Well, if it helps, look at it this way," Naruto smiled, "Think of this whole thing as a game."

"A…game?" Negi repeated the word questioningly.

"That's right. You've played at least one videogame before, right? Well, think of Eva-chan here and any other obstacles you might encounter as bosses," Naruto nodded at his logic, "Right now, they may seem more powerful than you. They may dwarf your power beyond your comprehension, may have slaughtered hundreds upon thousands mercilessly, may be able to rip out your guts through your throat, ma—"

"Naruto-san!"

"Right, sorry, I got carried away…anyway, think of them as bosses and think of me as the final boss," Naruto shrugged.

"The final boss?" Negi blinked.

"If you're going to repeat everything I say, we'll be here all day," Naruto sighed, "Yes, the final boss. When everything's about to end, I'll show up and we'll have one big battle. Sounds fun, huh?"

Negi sighed, "I don't know…"

Naruto laughed, "I don't seem that scary, do I? C'mon—doesn't it sound fun? It'll be just like in the games—everything will work out in the end and the hero will save the world, right?"

Negi opened his mouth to answer, only for the petite vampire in the bed to beat him to the punch, "C-Cold…"

Negi's eyes widened as he quickly grabbed onto the shoulder of Evangeline's pajamas, "T-They're soaked with sweat!"

"First she's hot, now she's cold—there's just no pleasing this girl…" Naruto sighed, "Well, it looks like one of us will have to change her."

"C-C-C-Change her?" Negi cried out in surprise, his face heating up.

"Honestly, you'd think that being a teacher in a class where the girls constantly try to sexually harass you would at least get you past being embarrassed at something as trivial as this…" Naruto sighed, "Fine, get me a change of clothes and I'll do it."

Negi nodded and ran to search the house for the laundry room as Naruto turned back to Evangeline, who, much to his surprise, had one eye opened at him in a weak glare, "Y…You'd better not try anything…"

"What? You're finally awake?" Naruto frowned, "Go back to sleep. The brat's already dying of embarrassment just being here—his heart would stop if he knew you were awake during this."

In almost perfect harmony, Evangeline's eyes fluttered back down as she nodded off as Negi reentered with a fresh pair of pajamas, tossed them at Naruto, and quickly ran out of the room, his blush still strong on his face.

'_Kids these days…absolutely no middle ground—either they're too shy to do anything or all they can think of is getting into someone's pants…for Negi's class, ninety-five percent is the latter…' _Naruto sighed to himself as he set to work, _'Hm…frills? Come on, Eva-chan, I know you can do better than that…personally, I think stripes would suit you much better…'_

"C-Can I come in now?"

Naruto rolled his eyes, "Yes, we're all decent in here."

Negi shyly stumbled back into the room, once more taking his spot at the bedside while Naruto took his spot on the floor at the foot of the bed, leaning back into it as he began to close his eyes, "Watch after her for awhile, Negi. If anything happens, just wake me…"

"I understand."

'_At least he can do something…'_ Naruto sighed as he drifted off.

_(Flashback)_

…_So, this was the world, huh? Naruto Uzumaki's great adventure out into the vast and unknown world had proven to be…well, pretty damn boring. Technology itself was far, far, far behind that of the Elemental Nations, to the point that electricity was completely unheard of…and, unfortunately, the clothing style was radically different also. Apparently, people chose fashion (and Naruto used that term loosely after he judged how idiotic some strange some people looked in their clothes) over simple comfort and convenience. Growling slightly, Naruto glared down at his clothes. Scratchy breeches, a tight doublet, and finally the tunic that seemed to take it upon itself to make sure he had absolutely no way to comfortably and conveniently maneuver. Looking up to his store, he grimaced once more—completely and utterly empty. Naruto had no idea what he could sell and, even if he did, he had no idea how he would be able to get it. Having nothing to sell also meant no money, Naruto stealing the clothes he wore currently as not to stand out among the crowd and, according to his stomach's groaning, it was time to go thieving once more and find dinner. Such was life in fourteenth century France._

_It was then, much to Naruto's amazement, suspicion, and annoyance, that the unthinkable happened—someone actually entered his store. It was a tall man that towered over Naruto, much to his annoyance as he was still short for his age, at six and a half feet. A large and scruffy beard and moustache hung on his face, which was filled with excitement and happiness. His oily black hair was concealed under the hat he wore in a similar fashion to the way his body was concealed by the long cloak he wore, which ended just under his wrinkled forehead, where his eyes rested just a little lower. Warm, chocolate brown eyes filled with joy caught Naruto in their gaze as the man stepped up to the counter, setting a book down on it, "I have found you! At long last, I have found the one I have been looking for! Please, I need you to look at this book!"_

_Naruto shot the man a disbelieving look before his stomach's growls shook him out of his awe, "Look, I think you're confusing me for someone else—I've never seen you in my life."_

"_No, it is, without a doubt, you who I am after! If you just look into the book, everything will become clear!" the man laughed._

"_Sir, you have the wrong guy," Naruto frowned in annoyance as he searched for a way around the large man who was blocking his escape route._

"_You don't understand! My life's work, the chance to revolutionize the world as we know it, all hinges on this! Just once, I ask that you look at the book—just once, and I promise that I will leave and never come back."_

"…_Damn it…" Naruto grumbled under his breath, snatching the small, leather-bound book from the counter and opening it to gaze at a mixture of chicken scratch and strange symbols, "What the Hell am I looking at? I can't even read a single word—doesn't matter, I guess. I looked at it, so get out."_

"_You misunderstand!" the man smiled, "That power you have—that energy—you must use it on the pages to read the book!"_

_Naruto's eyes widened in shock as his mind slowly began to register and come to terms with what the man had just spoken. Roughly shoving his way past the man, Naruto peeked his head out the door of his shop, checking for any witnesses before sharply slamming the door and turning angrily back to the man, "How did you find out about that? Does someone know who I am? Do you realize what will happen to me if my powers are found out? I'll be hanged, drawn and quartered!"_

"_No one knows of your secret—I did not hear it from someone else, I felt it when I saw you walking around town the other day! Please, I beg of you, just the first page! Just let me know the first word of the first page! That's all I ask!"_

_Naruto glared at the man, but stormed over to the counter and grabbed the book, applying chakra to the pages. Slowly but surely, the ink that had littered the page before began to dance and squirm until dashes began to form familiar letters, "…Adam? What the Hell does that mean?"_

"_I knew it!" the man laughed, jumping for joy and dancing around the shop, "I knew I wasn't wrong! I've found it—after all my years of hard work, research, my travels—they are finally beginning to bear fruit! Please, read more!"_

"_I've done enough, so get the Hell out of my store and don't come back. Now, if you'll excuse me, I've got to go get dinner…" Naruto grumbled as he made his way to the door._

"_You are going to steal more food, aren't you?"_

"_W-What? How did you—"_

"_I am not hailed as a genius for nothing, my little friend," the man laughed, "It is simple observation. Those clothes—you stole them, too, correct? You have nothing to sell at this store, yet it is covered in dust. You have no money, so you must steal to survive."_

"_What your damn point?" Naruto growled. This man seemed to be making a record of how many times he could try his patience before he exploded._

"_I can change that! Come, leave this place and head with me to my home—you will work there as my assistant in my research. I will supply you with food and drink, a warm bed to sleep in, proper payment, and when I unveil my greatest achievement, you shall stand beside me and join me in the glory!" the man exclaimed, clasping Naruto's shoulders, "And, should you wish it, you may quit and leave at any time you wish!"_

"…_With my powers, you know I can kill you if you're lying to me, right?" Naruto frowned suspiciously, "Why trust me?"_

"_Because, my little friend, you and I share the same eyes!" the man laughed, "That thirst for adventure, the will to strive ahead of others into unknown areas, the need to prove to yourself and others that you are truly something worthwhile! I've seen it all before, my boy, and I can tell that you and I will accomplish marvelous things, Mr. …"_

"…_Uzumaki," Naruto nodded, grasping the man's hand in a firm shake, "Naruto Uzumaki."_

_(End Flashback)_

"**You saw my dream, didn't you, you little brat?"**

'_Well, someone's feeling better…' _Naruto twitched in irritation as his eyes popped open just in time to see Negi flee the room in terror, a volley of books flying through the air after him. Evangeline pouted as she saw the books she had thrown fall to the floor, their target escaping and untouched.

"So, feeling better already, are we, Eva-chan?" Naruto smiled, sitting on the edge of the bed next to the girl.

"What are you still doing here?" Evangeline growled.

"Well, I'm still bored and I haven't annoyed you yet."

"Just go home!" Evangeline shouted, angrily turning away from Naruto, her arms crossed indignantly.

"You act like you don't like my company…" Naruto grinned.

"I don't!"

"Sure, whatever you say…" Naruto trailed off, standing and stretching his arms towards the ceiling before walking towards the door, "Well, if you're going to complain that much, I'll be leaving."

Evangeline paused for a moment, a blush slowly coming onto her face, "…W-Wait a minute…"

"Yes?" Naruto turned back to the vampire with a raised eyebrow, his smile still present.

"D-Di…you…" Evangeline's blush increased as she stuttered and mumbled.

"Sorry, didn't catch that."

"D-D-Did you…" Evangeline didn't care to meet Naruto's gaze, and instead found the floor far more interesting.

"Did I…?" Naruto frowned.

"D-Did you…see anything?"

Naruto stared at Evangeline in surprise, the vampire herself now tomato red, still staring down at the floor intently. Evangeline mind was completely blank as she awaited a list of possible answers that she expected from Naruto. He could start teasing her that he saw everything, say he took pictures—he could even accuse her of having nothing to say—in which case, she would kill him. Yes, she had prepared her list, but, as usual, Naruto had surprised her completely when he broke out into laughter.

"W-What's so funny?" Evangeline shouted, her blush growing even more to the point she was sure it wasn't healthy.

Naruto chuckled and walked over to Evangeline, poking her forehead and grinning, "Nothing—it's just that the "Dark Evangel" is surprisingly cute."

"D-Don't say stupid things, idiot…" Evangeline pouted, pushing his hand away from her.

"There it is again…well, I feel entertained, so I'll be leaving," Naruto nodded, heading back for the door.

"You didn't answer my question…" Evangeline called out to Naruto as he grabbed a hold of the doorknob. Naruto turned, seemingly contemplating his next possible move, his eyes quickly going over each pro and con before finally nodding to himself and grinning at Evangeline.

"Eva-chan, there's nothing there to see."

"…"

"Well, see you tomorrow, Eva-ch—"

"**I'LL KILL YOU, YOU ANNOYING BASTARD!"**

* * *

Chachamaru, bag of medicine in hand, arrived back home just in time to witness Negi running as fast as his little legs could carrier him away from the house. She had gotten to the front door just in time to avoid the shower of glass that the broken upstairs windows had released upon the front yard. She had opened the front door just in time for the body of one Uzumaki Naruto to go flying out the door. Finally, Chachamaru had closed said door just in time to prevent her Master from chasing the blond down with the torch she had lit in the fireplace.

"I am glad to see you are well, Master, but Konoe-san will not like it if you try and organize a mob to kill Uzumaki-san," Chachamaru sighed as she drag her Master, who was kicking, screaming, and struggling in every way, away from the door.

"Let me go, Chachamaru! I need to kill him! He has to **DIE!**"

* * *

"I'm home, Sayo-chan!" Naruto called, walking back into his store with a content smile on his face, his boredom finally cured. Sayo looked up from behind the counter where she stood—er, floated with a bright smile on her face.

"How was it, Naruto-kun?" Sayo questioned as she watched her friend move swiftly behind the counter and up the stairs.

"It was…interesting, to say the least," Naruto nodded, "But I have a feeling that tomorrow's going to be even better, so I'm going to go ahead and get some rest."

"What's going to happen tomorrow?" Sayo blinked.

"I unveil what could possibly be my greatest idea yet—soon that shop across the street will be no match for us!" Naruto laughed maniacally. Sayo swore she could almost hear a clap of thunder and a Latin choir in the background, but quickly shook her head, summing the sounds up to her imagination. Any thoughts of the noises quickly left her thoughts, though, when she noticed something about her friend.

"Um…Naruto-kun?"

"Yes, Sayo-chan?"

"…Your head's bleeding."

Naruto sighed as he reached up to the open wounds on his head, which looked suspiciously like bite marks, as he continued up the stairs, "I know, Sayo-chan, I know…"

* * *

…You people…have NO IDEA…what I went through to get this chapter done…I started on this chapter almost TWO MONTHS ago…then my sister deleted it. So I tried again. I fell asleep on the keyboard and backspaced back to the first paragraph…so I tried again, and it magically deleted itself! So, by now, I got fed up and took a small vacation. When I start again, I get sick and am bedridden for another week! When I get better, I realize I have to start my AP homework before school begins. This chapter was going to be longer, but I'm cutting it short in case something else goes wrong. Hence forth, I dub this chapter the "cursed chapter".

Alright, next chapter, we finish up the Eva arc! Sorry if it seemed that not a lot really happened, but I refer you to the paragraph above this. So, for now, just consider this a "mini-chapter" (14 pages) and think of it as a little break with a little bit a backstory thrown in.

Poll: (Closes this chapter! LAST CHANCE TO VOTE!)

Yuna: 4

Asuna: 30

Akira: 7

Madoka: 3

Sakurako: 2

Sayo: 38

Asakura: 22

Chizuru: 21

Ku Fei: 10

Chachamaru: 6

Chao: 8

Please review! Because, secretly, I'm very lonely!


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